By popular demand: More PMA Match Game

In the group responses to a couple of the questions during PMA Match Game, an orientation activity on April 3 as part of the PMA Consumer Trends '08 conference in Newport Beach, Calif., four of six groups said tomatoes were the produce item least likely to be displayed properly in the supermarket. Also of note, only two of six groups answered “lettuce” to the question, “If vegetables were competing in a flavor tournament designed to resemble the NCAA Basketball Tournament, the No. 1 seed from the West would be (blank).”

Another great George Wooten anecdote: PMA Match Game ’08 didn’t have Gene Rayburn or Richard Dawson like the ’75 version had, but did feature George Wooten, of Wayne E. Bailey Produce, Chadbourn, N.C., whose company specializes in sweet potatoes. When asked the question, “Before mom serves her kids vegetables, she (blanks) them,” most players assumed “them” referred to the vegetables and said mom “washes” or “disguises” them, but Wooten took it a different direction and assumed “them” referred back to the kids … “Before mom serves her kids vegetables, she threatens them.” Now, that’s the kind of outside-the-box thinking many conference attendees feel the need for more of.

Dan Galbraith is sections editor for The Packer and a contributor to the Fresh Talk blog. Check out more of his materials on The Packer's Web site, www.thepacker.com, and at Dan's personal Web site/blog, located at http://dangalbraith.blogspot.com.