The Produce Marketing Association hired Iván Correa to serve as the country representative in Chile.  Correa will serve as a resource and in-country support for PMA members and the industry providing relevant PMA resources and information and sharing Chilean insights and successes to the global audience. Correa’s primary role will focus on being an expert and point of contact for industry members in Chile, and facilitating critical business connections in the produce and floral industries.

“We are excited to welcome Iván as PMA’s new representative in Chile and part of our Global PMA team,”

Meijer opened three new supercenters across the Midwest. Located in Seven Hills and Boardman, OH, and Westfield, IN, the 155,000-square-foot stores offer a state-of-the-art shopping experience, providing customers multiple ways to shop in a specialty store environment.

"These new stores reinforce our ongoing commitment to serving the needs of communities at a time when everyone is looking for a one-stop shopping experience," said Meijer President and CEO Rick Keyes. "We look forward to providing a customer-focused store that offers fresh options and innovation to help reshape how customers

The Southeast Produce Council held its first virtual Produce Inspection Training course session within the SEPC Virtual Garden on Wednesday, May 12. Conducted by International Produce Training through what has evolved into an 11-year partnership, Produce Inspection Training is a two-day course intended for quality control personnel, produce buyers, produce inventory control personnel, and other company associates involved in the receiving, handling, buying, and shipping of fresh produce. Traditionally this course takes place over a two-day period for each of the spring and fall sessions

The third Eastern Produce Council Leadership Class experienced key aspects of the produce logistics and distribution system with a tour of the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market and Holt Logistics on May 11. “In this first event of our current leadership program we were excited to engage this group of talented industry professionals with such crucial supply chain partners such as PWPM and Holt,” said Susan McAleavey Sarlund, EPC executive director.

The group started the day at PWPM with a presentation on the market’s history, evolution and current technology from John Vena of John Vena Inc

GLOBALG.A.P. has successfully achieved recognition against Global Food Safety Initiative’s Benchmarking Requirements Version 2020.1. The recognition encompasses Produce Handling Assurance certification program.

The PHA certification program is available to on-farm and stand-alone post-harvest handling facilities around the world. It provides food-safety management certification of post-harvest activities, such as cooling, packing, re-packing, handling, and storage of crops for consumption. The PHA certification program incorporates United States Food Safety Modernization Act requirements from

Bodega Latina Corp., a subsidiary of Grupo Comercial Chedraui, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Smart & Final Holdings Inc. from funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management Inc. for approximately $620 million, including the assumption of certain indebtedness.

Smart & Final, a smaller, faster grocery warehouse store for household and business customers, provides one-stop shopping with an assortment of both club and traditionally sized groceries, fresh foods and supplies without a paid membership and at great values. Celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2021 and