Dole’s Easy-Open Bags May
Jumpstart Stagnant Salad Category
With so much emphasis placed on the concept of increasing consumption with industry wide programs, it is important to remember that consumption cannot be increased in general unless it is increased for specific items. For the last quarter century, the big growth in the produce categories came from two areas, the growth of counter-seasonal imports […]
Got Produce?Generic Marketing Program Dialog Begins, But Is It Right To Use PBH Donor Funds To Lobby For A Mandatory Assessment?
There is a proposal outstanding to establish a National Fruit and Vegetable Research and Promotion Board, basically a program similar to those in the dairy, beef, pork and other industries. It is an old idea, one discussed for many decades, and in fact it is not clear who actually supports the idea today. The spark […]
Pundit’s Mailbag — Mike Stuart Of FFVA Speaks Out On Ballantine And Buyer/Seller Relations
We received many letters on our recent piece, Did Wal-Mart Have A Role In Ballantine’s Fall? Many of the letters focused on the future and the implications of the story for the future of the industry. This letter came from a well respected executive at one of the most important regional produce associations: Jim… it’s […]
Pundit’s Mailbag — Sprout Doubt…
What Constitutes A Direct Link?
Our piece, Alfalfa Seed Company, FDA, USDA And Supporting Cast Comment On Seed Withdrawal, featured several interviews, including one with Lyle Orwig, a principal with Charleston/Orwig, who was acting as a spokesperson for Caudill Seed Company, the firm whose seed has been implicated in the outbreak related to alfalfa sprouts. We found the interview troubling […]
Did Wal-Mart Have A Role In Ballantine’s Fall?
We’ve written many pieces about the challenges facing the California tree fruit industry, including these: Tree Fruit Industry In Turmoil Pundit’s Mailbag — Reshuffling The Tree Fruit Industry Pundit’s Mailbag — Tackling Tree Fruit Turmoil From Different Perspectives Ripening Workshop Set for May 20 Although we had no reason to think it was going to […]
Alfalfa Seed Company, FDA, USDA And Supporting Cast Comment On Seed Withdrawal
The alfalfa sprout industry is operating under an FDA recommendation not to consume since April 26, 2009. We discussed this issue in a piece titled Insights On The Alfalfa Sprout Advisory. Then the FDA issued as “Alert,” identifying an epidemiological link between a specific seed supplier and the outbreak. We asked Pundit Investigator and Special […]
Recommendation For An ‘Appropriate’ Seed-screening Program Shows FDA Unwilling To Take Responsibility For Its Recommendations
On April 28, 2009, the Perishable Pundit published a piece titled, Insights On The Alfalfa Sprout Advisory, which included an interview with Bob Sanderson of Jonathan’s Sprouts. The interview revealed an insight into a fundamental food safety problem regarding alfalfa sprouts:Alfalfa seeds are not typically grown for human consumption.So all the food safety burden is […]
H1N1 Flu Virus Far From Over
A few weeks ago, Junior Pundit primo, aka William, age 7, was washing his hands, drying them and then washing and drying them again. When we inquired as to what he was doing he explained, “Daddy, there is a terrible flu going around and you can die from it. I don’t want to die. I […]
Union Sentiment On AgJOBS
Hinges On Permanent Residency
We have often discussed the immigration issue, and our piece, Will US Citizens Harvest Crops? led those who are promoting AgJOBS to write quickly to assure us that we had misinterpreted the joint announcement of the two big national labor federations and that AgJOBS still had labor’s endorsement. We ran the piece under the title, […]
Are the Police Afraid To Come Or
Does Carrefour Fear Calling Them?
Here is something that makes one fear for the future of the civilization. A group of Greenshirts recently invaded a Carrefour store in France and took all the product they believed was Israeli or might be Israeli and removed it from the shelves. This included much fresh produce plus floral bouquets and other items. Obviously […]
