PMA Goes To Australia
Our piece, PMA Convenes First Country Council, pointed out that PMA was going abroad in a big way by establishing a “country council” to ensure its products, services and events are relevant to members and potential members in Australia and New Zealand. Now PMA just held its Fresh Connections Conference, in Darling Harbor in Sydney, […]
Mann Packing Promotion Links Education With Produce Consumption
The Junior Pundits — both Primo, aka William, age 5, and Segundo, aka Matthew, age 4 — are computer aces, and now the Pundit knows how to get a bargain on some educational software in time for school to start: MANN PACKING PARTNERS WITH LEADING EDUCATIONAL SOFTWARE COMPANY Promotion Ideal for Back-to-School Shopping Season Mann […]
Is There A Silver Lining In Chilean Snowfall?
Rick Eastes, Director of Special Projects for Ballantine Produce Company, was kind enough to pass on these photos of snow in Chile sent to him from a friend in Santiago. Jim Pandol of Pandol Assoc. Marketing and Pandol Family Farms sent this note suggesting that despite the crop reduction on avocados, which we wrote about […]
Pundit’s Mailbag — Where Accreditation Is For Sale, We Better Know Our Suppliers
Our piece, Pundit’s Mailbag — Eye-Opening Visit To China’s Garlic Growers, has caused much controversy and brought this letter from a well-recognized force in food safety: I was fascinated with, though not surprised by, the letter from Roger Niebolt regarding garlic handling in China. As someone who has worked in produce all over the world, […]
Pundit’s Pulse Of The Industry: Calif. Dept. of Public Health’s Sue Foerster
As part of our continuing efforts to explore the intersection between the industry and health and nutrition issues, we have run many pieces, including, most recently, an interview with Dr. Lorelei DiSogra, Vice President, Nutrition and Health, United Fresh, and a letter received from Elizabeth Pivonka, President and CEO of the Produce for Better Health […]
Do You Have What It Takes To Be PMA’s Floral Marketer Of The Year?
When Lauree Lincoln of Big Y Foods (photo at right) was named the 2006 Marketer of the Year at the PMA convention in San Diego last fall (presented by Pat Bauer of Temkin International, Inc.), we ran a piece entitled, Welcome Presence Of Floral At PMA Convention, which noted a renaissance in floral at PMA, […]
A Big Week For Ramseys… And For Mann Packing
August 9th was Bill Ramsey’s birthday. August 8th was Dick Ramsey’s 33rd anniversary of working at Mann Packing, and today, August 10th, Bill Ramsey’s first great-grandchild, who is also Dick Ramsey’s first grandchild, is scheduled for delivery. As if this wasn’t a big enough week for the Ramsey family, Mann Packing sent along this announcement: […]
The Problem With Food Miles
The New York Times ran an op-ed article entitled, Food That Travels Well, on the hot subject of “Food Miles”: The term “food miles” — how far food has traveled before you buy it — has entered the enlightened lexicon. Environmental groups, especially in Europe, are pushing for labels that show how far food has […]
A Visit To Tallman Family Farms
In our piece, Unhealthy Restaurant Salads, we mentioned that the Pundit family was on a tour of theme parks in Pennsylvania, including Hersheypark, Dutch Wonderland and Sesame Street Place. That letter brought a note from a reader we have never had the pleasure to meet: Dear Mr. & Mrs. Pundit and Junior Pundits: We welcome […]
More Matters And The Need For Supporting Research
In some ways Elizabeth Pivonka has the most thankless job in produce. The President and CEO of the Produce for Better Health Foundation, which ran the 5-a-Day program and now runs the Fruits & Veggies — More Matters effort, has the amorphous task of increasing produce consumption in the service of good health with a […]