Month: February 2012

The produce industry is one step closer to the goal of “one audit by any credible third party acceptable to all buyers” when GlobalG.A.P. approved the use of Harmonized Standards as the basis of its checklist for U.S. Food Safety, GFSI level certification audits. …

Robert “Bob” Duncan McDougall, 87, of East Wenatchee, died Monday, Feb. 6, 2012, in Mesa, Arizona. Bob was a lifelong resident of the Wenatchee Valley and had a 60-year career in the fruit industry. Bob formed McDougall Orchards, Inc. in 1960. He joined with his sons, Stuart and Scott, to form McDougall and Sons, Inc. in 1977, where he served as its president until his retirement in 1998. In 1989, he was one of the four founding partners of Columbia Marketing International (CMI). …

RedLine Solutions Inc., a leading provider of whole-chain produce traceability solutions, announced the addition of a new "Traceability Insights" blog to the company's website (www.RedLineforProduce.com). …

On Monday, February 6, 2012, United States Secretary of Agriculture Thomas J. Vilsack appointed/reappointed 32 grower members to serve on the United States Potato Board (USPB) for three-year terms beginning March 1, 2012, and ending February 28, 2015. One importer member was appointed for a one-year term beginning March 1, 2012 and ending February 28, 2013. …

From January through March, produce donations in the Salinas Valley to the area nonprofit Ag Against Hunger decrease dramatically when most growing production moves to the desert for the winter. However, local tri-county area food banks still need access to fresh fruits and vegetables to help the 158,500 people in need who utilize their services. To help solve this problem, Ag Against Hunger’s Winter Program brings donated fresh vegetables to the Central Coast from growers in Yuma, AZ. …