I think the trend to "designer" produce was something started by Alice Waters, albeit unwittingly. From the outset, she put great effort into finding the highest quality producers and got locked into them. They basked in her subsequent celebrity as "purveyors to HRH Alice Waters". Don't blame Alice, but the trend took on a life of its own. A designer tag lets produce vendors and restaurateurs inflate the prices and make the consumer feel good at the same time. Why does the Slanted Door need "Niman Ranch" beef or "Harris Ranch" pork plastered on its menus? Do they bear any resemblance to Vietnamese beef or pork? It's strictly a copout and a ripoff. "Famous label" fruits are in the same category. Hey peaches are peaches, and some growers pay more attention to the qualities of their product than others, especially if they are too small an operation to attract the Del Monte buyers. Why pay Starbucks prices when there's Peerless?