Fred Williamson, Visionary And Leader
Mark Munger sent a note letting us know that Fred L. Williamson of Andrew Williamson Fresh Produce passed away at the age of 70. As Mark’s letter noted: “…he was definitely a visionary and a leader in the California and Mexico tomato industries. He has a great legacy in his son Freddie, but he will […]
In Memory Of Craig Carson
Just over a month ago, the Pundit was sharing with Craig Carson what we knew about cancer and seeing if there was a way the knowledge we acquired in fighting to help the Pundit’s father could help Craig. So we were shocked when we received a note from Tony Freytag: Cashmere, Washington; March 22, 2007 […]
Aid For Spinach Losses
We received a note from a well-respected reader about a news item: My issue is concerning a recent article, Spinach growers get aid provision as food safety-standards bills stalls, which I read in USA Today on Thursday on my way to Charlotte to attend PMA’s Produce Solutions Conference. Buried toward the back of the front […]
Pundit Pulse Of The Industry:
Enza’s Dawn Gray
A Canadian woman, who spent a lot of time living in the United States, moves to New Zealand to run Enza, which is still wrestling with the environment created by the end of New Zealand’s single-desk sales system. Who is this woman and what is she going to do in New Zealand? We asked Pundit […]
Sara Lee And Kraft Tie In To Produce
The Wall Street Journal today ran a piece, New Leaf for Sara Lee, Kraft: Salads In an effort to tap into the nation’s growing appetite for meals on the go, the two suburban Chicago food giants are using their existing brands to enter an entirely new product category for each: prepared salads. Sara Lee, operating […]
Tim York Points Out Buyer Commitment
To Food Safety
The signatories to the Buyer-led Food Safety Initiative represent a compilation of buying power never before assembled in the produce industry to achieve a common good: Enhanced food safety. The names and companies that comprise this initiative are legion: Ron Anderson, Safeway, Inc. Gary Bergstrom, Publix Craig Carlson, Pathmark Stores Jim Corby, Food Lion Greg […]
The Flaws Of Portion Control
Here at the Pundit, we work hard to keep you ahead of the game. Several weeks ago, we ran T.G.I. Friday’s Weighs In On Obesity to discuss whether a Friday’s initiative to offer smaller portions could work and, if so, what the implications for health and fresh produce might be. Now the New York Times […]
Pundit’s Mailbag — Chiquita’s Motivations
Our piece entitled Chiquita’s Shame — And Our Ineffective Anti-Terrorism Policy brought a number of responses, including this one from an executive who asked to remain anonymous: I just read your article on Chiquita Shame (March 22) and had a couple of questions for Chiquita. Are they really walking the Corporate Responsibility talk? They are […]
Boskovich Sues Taco Bell
In the midst of the Taco Bell/E.coli 0157:H7 situation we published Taco Bell’s PR Fiasco, which pointed out that Taco Bell had unfairly released preliminary information because of its own interest in seeing the situation resolved. This is part of what we wrote: The key to the Johnson & Johnson campaign, though, was to first […]
NRA’s Food Safety Plan
Still Looms In Mystery
We’ve been focused lately on the plans of the National Restaurant Association to address produce-based food safety issues. Most recently right here. There are some real concerns: Although the industry has been working for months on a new Good Agricultural Practices document and has both kept NRA specifically informed about the progress of this effort […]
