IFCO, a leading provider of Reusable Plastic Containers for fresh food packaging, launched its Banana Lift Lock crates that are specially designed for a secure transportation of bananas throughout the entire supply chain – from the grower to the point of sale. The Banana Lift Lock offers various advantages for the transportation of bananas on their often long overseas journeys, like a superior ventilation for faster cooling and optimal ripening, an increased strength for ultimate protection and an even better design to increase sustainability throughout the entire supply chain. The Banana Lift

Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc., one of the world’s leading vertically integrated producers, marketers and distributors of high-quality fresh and fresh-cut fruit and vegetables, announced a partnership with I Squared Capital, an independent global infrastructure investment manager focusing on energy, utilities, digital infrastructure, transport and social infrastructure in the Americas, Europe and Asia.

By creating this partnership and investing in the I Squared Global InfraTech Fund, Fresh Del Monte takes the next step in transforming into a digital-forward company with technology-enabled

Harland Heath, who had a long produce career on both the buy and sell sides of the industry and co-founded Heath & Lejeune 40 years ago, died in late May after a battle with cancer. He was involved in the Fresh Produce & Floral Council since its inception and was a regular attendee at the council’s events for the past 55 years.

Mr. Heath was a California native from a large family who got his start in retailing as a pre-teen working for a local Southern California grocer. After high school, he worked for several more retailers and then, while only in his 20s, he and a handful of other

McALLEN, TX — Frank Schuster has worked in the produce industry for his entire career, but he has never seen a year quite like 2020.

“I would say the last 18 months have been a series of ‘who’d of thoughts?’,” said the president of Val Verde Vegetable Co., here.

He said the run of bad luck started with the pandemic, which basically shut down the foodservice industry, and with that demand dried up for Val Verde’s large-size onions. Then last July Hurricane Hanna swept in from the Gulf of Mexico and interrupted his early-season plantings. And then came a late freeze in February, which

Officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations at the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility prevented two smuggling attempts involving a total of nearly $3.1 million in narcotics from crossing the border.

CBP officers assigned to the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge cargo facility on May 29 inspected a tractor/trailer arriving from Mexico containing a load of fresh mangos and with the use of all available tools and resources, they discovered packages of suspected narcotics hidden within the shipment. Officers removed 635 packages of alleged methamphetamine

Tomato lovers take note — the chefs have spoken! Pure Flavor’s Cloud 9 bite-sized fruity tomatoes have been awarded the coveted ChefsBest Excellence Award, adding to the already illustrious reputation of this unique snacking tomato endorsed by professional chefs.

A panel of certified Master Tasters comprising independent, professional chefs judged Pure Flavor’s Cloud 9 tomatoes using Sensory Attribute Quality Analysis. Modalities evaluated were appearance, aroma, flavor, basic taste and texture. This extensive sensory evaluation led ChefsBest to conclude that “Cloud 9 Tomatoes deliver Overall