The Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) is backing away from the catalyst role it endeavored to fill beginning last spring on the potential creation of a national fruit and vegetable research and promotion board.

Harold Lloyd, president, of H. Lloyd & Associates, Inc; Art Turock, president of Art Turock & Associates; and Dr. Richard George, professor of food marketing at Saint Joseph’s University will present during the National Grocers Association (N.G.A.) Super Breakfast Sessions at the 2010 N.G.A. Annual Convention and Supermarket Synergy Showcase (S3), to be held Feb. 9 to Feb. 12, 2010, at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel in Las Vegas.

Against a trying backdrop of persistently weak economic conditions, fierce competition and financially wary shoppers, supermarket produce departments faced much harsher headwinds during the past 12- month period than they have in recent years, as evidenced by marginal comparable-sales gains and a tentative outlook for the balance of the year, according to results of Progressive Grocer's 2009 Annual Produce Operations Review.

Total supermarket sales were $430.3 billion, up $13.2 billion from the $417.2 billion recorded in 2007 -- continuing the trend of slightly higher percentage increases in each of the past five years, according to Progressive Grocer's 62nd Annual Consumer Expenditures Study (CES), now greatly expanded from the eight-page print edition to 35 pages of research.