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California strawberry season has kicked off, with berries in the Salinas/Watsonville area starting at the end of March to meet increased demand of berries spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mastronardi Produce’s newest product in the “Bombs” line of snacking tomatoes, Honey Bombs, will be appearing in stores in May.

The Packer’s Tom Karst spoke on March 30 with Craig Carlson, CEO of Chicago-based Carlson Produce Consulting, LLC.

The National Watermelon Promotion Board has launched an updated website, watermelon.org, featuring more content that promotes return visits for consumers looking for recipes, nutrition information and more.

Natural Brands Inc. and Streef Produce Ltd. are new companies to the Market. California Specialty Produce Inc., Delfrutti, Grocers Supply Produce Co LLC, The Fruit Basket LLC, Tri Cal Inc., and others have updates.

Brookshire Grocery Company and Wazobia African Market are new companies to the Market. Carleton Farms, Frecon Fruit Farms Inc., Paradise Meadows, Pattersons Fruit Farm, Satur Farms and others have updates.

Apples, and more specifically, bagged apples, are seeing a boost in demand as consumers try to limit time spent on shopping trips.

A USDA administrative complaint filed against Southern Sun LLC. Hacienda Ag Incorporated, Heritage Farms LLC, MJR Produce Inc., are new companies to the Market. DMA Solutions Inc. and others have updates.

Sales of fresh limes seem to be trending upward. At Delano, Calif.-based Wonderful Citrus, Elena Rhodes, director of product management, said in mid-April that sales were up 13% year over year.

Jacobs, Malcomb & Burtt (JMB), San Ramon, Calif., has a new website as it prepares for the start of its summer asparagus program.