An independent study conducted by the Fibre Box Association (FBA), Itasca, Ill., and its member companies confirmed that corrugated containers used to transport fresh produce are safe and clean.

Church Brothers Farms, Salinas, Calif., and FiveStar Gourmet Foods, Ontario, Calif., partnered to expand product portfolios in their respective areas of expertise within the retail and foodservice segments of the fresh produce business.

Grimmway Farms, Bakersfield, Calif., acquired the Cook County, Ga., and Live Oak, Fla., processing facilities and assets of Generation Farms, Lake Park, Ga.

AGRO Merchants Group, Atlanta, acquired Cool Pak Solutions, a Port of Long Beach, Calif.-based provider of storage and repacking services.

Ben E. Keith Foods, Fort Worth, Texas, announced a plastic reduction initiative, in conjunction with Markon Cooperative Inc., Salinas, Calif., intended to move the produce industry away from single-use plastic.

California Giant, Watsonville, Calif., conducted field tests on prototype cardboard clamshells for fresh strawberries to determine the most environmental-friendly package.

Lane Southern Orchards announced a $4 million renovation and expansion of its Fort Valley, Ga., packing house and headquarters.

Compac, New Zealand, launched the Sizer Simulator, a unique simulation tool that enables fruit and vegetable packhouses to prepare for incoming fresh produce batches.

Randhawa Farms added a 22,000-square-foot cold storage site with 600-pallet capacity that includes two new value-added lines to its Canada-based facility.

Sun World International, Bakersfield, Calif., moved its packing operations in-house.