March 3, 2009
Melon 1 and Borders Melon now utilizing HarvestMark
CHARLESTON, SC -- Two of the larger firms in the watermelon
industry - Borders Melon Co. Inc. and Melon 1 Inc. - are now
utilizing YottaMark Inc.'s HarvestMark solution for
traceability.
Redwood City, CA-based YottaMark made the announcements during the
National Watermelon Convention, held here Feb. 18-22 at the Francis
Marion Hotel.
According to a press release by YottaMark, Hargill, TX-based
Borders Melon Co. "is the largest grower and distributor of
watermelons in North America, providing a year-round supply from
farms in Texas and Mexico, while Brooklyn, NY-based Melon 1 ships
over 5,000 loads each year to major chainstores and retailers in
the U.S. and Canada."
The release said that "HarvestMark is the leading traceability
platform for fresh produce. Compliant with GS1 standards and the
Produce Traceability Initiative, HarvestMark delivers item- and
case-level traceability that provides instant access to harvest,
distribution, quality and food-safety information, when and where
it's needed. HarvestMark is in use today by dozens of produce
shippers across the U.S. and Mexico, which have chosen the platform
to easily deploy effective traceability across a wide range of
produce products. Today, nearly 150 million produce products have
been enabled with HarvestMark traceability, from watermelons,
berries, tomatoes, peppers and more."
Elliott Grant, YottaMark's chief marketing officer and founder,
told The Produce News Feb. 19 that "the industry has embraced
HarvestMark, which gives so much more than traceability, as it is
also a way to promote a brand and tell a story. We're thrilled at
the response we received from the watermelon industry, and it will
be interesting to see which commodities are next" to utilize
HarvestMark.
Mr. Grant and J. Scott Carr, YottaMark's president and chief
executive officer, gave a presentation about HarvestMark at the
food safety and traceability seminar held Feb. 19 during the NWA
convention.
Bob Morrissey, executive director of the association, said in a
statement that "HarvestMark is quickly becoming a major
traceability solution of choice for the watermelon industry,
already providing trace-back capabilities to 25 percent of the
total volume of watermelons expected to be shipped for 2009. We
support HarvestMark's efforts and look forward to seeing our
growers and shippers utilize this technology to share their
stories, connect with consumers and help reinforce the entire
industry's commitment to safety and quality."