MISSION, TX - The second annual Viva Fresh Produce Expo is nearly upon us, kicking off with its Viva Fresh Open on Thursday, March 31 to benefit the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Urban School Grant.

Bret Erickson, President and CEO, Texas International Produce Association"We are thrilled to partner with the Texas Department of Agriculture in support of the Urban Schools Agricultural Grant Program," Bret Erickson, President & CEO of the Texas International Produce Association (TIPA), said in a press release.

The Urban Schools Agricultural Grant Program helps elementary and middle public school students understand and appreciate agriculture, plus learn about water conservation and nutrition, through hands on projects like school vegetable gardens.

“The vast majority of today's youth do not have a strong understanding of where their food comes from,” Erickson added. “We are seeking to change that through the funding of projects such as school vegetable gardens which help teach students about horticulture, plant and soil health, and agricultural production systems, not to mention the added benefit that kids get excited about eating more fruits and vegetables."

JW Marriott Hill Country Resort & Spa’s famous TPC golf course where the second annual Viva Fresh Golf Tournament will take place.

The golf tournament will be held at the TPC AT&T Canyons Course at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort as part of the Viva Fresh Produce Expo, promising an exciting start to the show.

Country Music Singer Lauren CorzineStarting at 1:00 pm, the event will be presented by Bebo Distributing, Inc and Wonderful Citrus and wrapping up with a performance by rising country music star Lauren Corzine at the 19th Hole Celebration from 6:30 to 9:30 pm, sponsored by SunFed.

Craig Slate, Vice President of Sales, SunFed“We couldn’t be more excited to have Lauren Corzine as the live entertainment for the 19th Hole Celebration,” Craig Slate, VP of Sales NA at SunFed, commented in the release. “It’s going to be a great way to kick off the 2016 Viva Fresh Expo and celebrate a fun tournament that benefits an organization that’s making a difference with kids.”

Entry to the 19th Hole Celebration is free for golf tournament players, with tickets available for all other expo guests at the door for $40.

For more information on the Viva Fresh Open Golf Tournament, visit vivafreshexpo.com.

Viva Fresh Expo TIPA

MISSION VIEJO, CALIFORNIA - The Hass Avocado Board (HAB) is building upon its current health and wellness campaign, Love One Today, with a newly developed foodservice marketing program and website.

Hass Avocado Board's New Foodservice Website

This new foodservice movement is expected to raise awareness about the benefits of highlighting fresh avocados on restaurant menus. The campaign will include nutritional research education, innovative menu ideas, and will connect and inspire operators and professionals at a variety of industry events.

Emiliano Escobedo, Executive Director, Hass Avocado Board

“We’re very excited about the launch of our foodservice program, which will work tirelessly to increase the presence of fresh avocados on menus in healthy, transformative ways,” says Executive Director of the Hass Avocado Board, Emiliano Escobedo in a press release.

In coordination with its commitment to healthier menu options, the board’s newly designed foodservice website was created to be a go-to platform for information regarding nutritional benefits, inspiring usages on menus, and highlighting chefs who are currently using this nutritious and versatile fresh avocado fruit in healthier dishes.

See the New Website Here

“We’ve always prided ourselves on providing professionals with the tools needed to ensure their customers are benefitting from the flavorful health benefits of fresh avocados, and the new website embodies that,” added Escobedo.

With hopes of better understanding the market, HAB conducted menu analysis, finding that two-thirds of surveyed professionals use avocados more now than two years ago, and more than half expect to increase their usage over the coming two years. Additionally, the company’s research discovered avocados most commonly used in entrees, but saw growth in appetizers.

To encourage this trend, HAB will establish relationships with chefs who, rather than contrasting the fruit as supplementary background flavor, are already highlighting avocados on the forefront of their healthy dishes. Executive Chef Justin Morrow of Canyon Ranch, for instance, emphasizes fresh fruits and vegetables.

“We see avocados as part of a healthful, balanced way to eat. When we use avocados, we really try to emphasize the fruit itself – meaning that we don’t hide it behind a lot of other ingredients,” said Chef Morrow. “For example, we’ll top a black bean bowl with an avocado mash that just has a little bit of lime, onion, salt and pepper to enhance the natural flavor.”

The HAB hopes that Adding to the Love One Today campaign will help to vitalize its foodservice program and further its health and wellness mission, ultimately leading to the growth of avocados as a nutrition menu item.

Hass Avocado Board

NEW YORK - Former Long Island banana importer Thomas Hoey Jr. was convicted of embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from employees Friday, March 18th.

Prosecutors charged Hoey of stealing upwards of $750,000 from the retirement accounts of those who worked for his company, according to CBS New York and  the Associated Press, for his own personal uses, including travel, luxury meals, and other lavish expenses.

Tom Hoey (L) and Tom Hoey Jr. (R) in front of Long Island Banana Co. in 1997. (Photo Credit: Newsday/Julia Gaines)

Hoey’s defense attorney argued that the former executive had used the money to attempt to rescue the company, according to the New York  Daily News, promising to appeal the verdict that was delivered in Manhattan's U.S. District Court.

The conviction means another 45 years in prison for Hoey, who is already serving time for charges in an unrelated drug case, which names him for illegal distribution and carries a potential 11 to 13 years in prison. Prior to those events, Hoey was heir and owner of Long Island Banana Corp.

Keep checking in with AndNowUKnow for all the latest produce industry news.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), a government-ran agency, has announced it will be picking up the pension plans of more than 21,000 retirees of the now shut down A&P retail chain.

“PBGC is stepping in because A&P has sold the majority of its assets in bankruptcy proceedings and most of the buyers declined to keep the plans going,” the agency said in a press release. “The agency will pay all pension benefits earned by A&P retirees up to the legal maximum of $60,136 a year for a 65-year-old.”

The PBGC will be taking over the following plans:

• The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. Inc. Plan, which has 14,783 participants and a $109.4 million shortfall. PBGC will cover $105.6 million of that shortfall.
• The Pathmark Stores Inc. Pension Plan. The PBGC will cover that plan's entire $182.3 million shortfall.
• The Delaware County Dairies Inc. Hourly Employees Pension Plan, which owes participants $100,000 in benefits. The PBGC will cover that amount.

Following A&P’s file for bankruptcy in July of last year and the sale of all of its locations, the company was able to raise more than $900 million to pay off loans and debt. However, as Lohud.com reports, a shortfall of a combined $291 million has kept A&P from being able to fulfill all its promised pension benefits. 

While the PBGC will be picking up the three plans listed above, the remaining New York-New Jersey Amalgamated Pension Plan for A&P Employees has not been terminated and will be administered by UFCW Local 464A in Little Falls, and Acme Markets Inc.

U.S. Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation A&P

NORTHWEST STATES - The first day of spring will bring moisture along with it to the northwest region, including the northern areas of California and Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and parts of Utah.

"After the first prolonged stretch of dry weather in quite some time this week, unsettled weather will return to the region by Sunday," AccuWeather Meteorologist Ryan Adamson said in a report. "At the onset of the event, snow levels will be fairly high, initially around 7,000 to 8,000 feet, before lowering to 4,000 to 6,000 feet by Monday."

While AccuWeather reports that some of Washington’s western region, Oregon, and northern California could see some light rainfall from tonight through tomorrow evening, those areas can expect more of a water show Sunday through Tuesday, March 20-22.

"Snow levels across the northern Rockies on Monday will also be high, around 7,000 to 8,000 feet, before falling during Monday night and Tuesday. Precipitation will become more showery by Tuesday, with rain possibly pushing farther southward across California," Adamson said.

AccuWeather reports the following levels:

• Between 1 and 2 inches of rain from portions of western Washington to Northern California
• Between 2 and 4 inches of rain in California’s northwestern region
• Snow levels above Snoqualmie Pass height until at least late Tuesday

While the storm is not expected to be strong enough to bring significant rain to Southern California, it does add to record rainfalls in the North and meteorologists caution that localized flooding could occur.

After a dryer-than-average February lading into promisingly stormy March, keep checking in with AndNowUKnow as we continue to hope for enough rain to pull the West out of its record drought.

MT MAUNGANUI, NEW ZEALAND - In response to increasing global demand for the gold kiwifruit SunGold, Zespri is looking to the future with the announcement of the release of a further 400 hectares of the variety’s licenses.

Peter McBride, Chairman, Zespri“The SunGold variety was at the cornerstone of the industry’s recovery from Psa,” Company Chairman Peter McBride explained. “It is clear now that not only has the variety carried the industry through the Psa crisis, it is the engine that will drive our industry’s future growth.”

Dependant on the product’s performance and future global demand, the company also shared that an additional 400 hectares of SunGold license will also be released each year in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

“At today’s returns for SunGold, should the full 1,600 hectares be released, it will mean more than $200 million in export revenue to New Zealand. Even before the decision to release more license was made, SunGold was on track to earn $1 billion in sales revenue by 2017,” continued McBride.

McBride said in making its decision, the Zespri Board had to balance the fact that SunGold is still a relatively new product with the positive customer and consumer feedback from the market.

“We have adopted a prudent approach to making a release this year and signalling the further release of hectares based on how SunGold performs this season,” added McBride.

Chief Executive Lain Jager said the confidence in the variety stems from SunGold’s excellent performance across Zespri’s 56 national markets over the past two years.

“SunGold has generated tremendous excitement across our markets,” Jager proceeded. “For example, last year SunGold was voted by fruit consumers in Spain and Germany as the best new fruit product on the market.”

While the logistics for the mechanism and pricing for the release has yet to be determined, it is expected that both existing and new growers will have the opportunity to participate.

Zespri

SALINAS, CA – With new additions to its recently-launched Culinary Cuts®, we had to catch up with Mann Packing’s Director of Marketing and Brand Management, Kim St. George, for the details on these latest items.

Kim St. George, Director of Marketing and Brand Management, Mann Packing Co.“Today we are introducing three new bags as part of our award-winning Culinary Cuts® line extension,” Kim tells me.

The new additions to the line that looks to make incorporating produce at home easier for parents include:

• Finely chopped Cauliettes® cauliflower
• Shaved Brussels sprouts
• Broccoli Clovers

Cuts that are very hard to replicate at home can be used in a variety of recipes including appetizers, desserts, and side dishes.

Launched in June of 2015, Mann's Culinary Cuts® includes a number of natural, preservative-free, and gluten-free products, including Sweet Potato Ribbons and Butternut Squash Zigzags.

To see the full interview with Kim, watch the brief video above, and for more information go to www.culinarycutsclub.com.

Mann Packing Co.