The health department of the government of Mexico, in an official memorandum dated Oct. 9, announced an immediate halt on the importation of all fresh lettuce from the United States including bulk lettuce and fresh salads containing lettuce, an action that baffled many in the U.S. produce industry. The memo, which was written in Spanish and which originated from office of the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (generally known by its Spanish acronym, COFEPRIS), noted that "this Sanitary Authority has knowledge" that "irrigation water used in the lettuce production

The California Department of Health Services and the U.S. Food & Drug Administration announced Thursday evening, Oct. 12 that three positive samples of E. coli 0157:H7 with the same genetic strain as that which caused the recent foodborne disease outbreak in spinach have been identified in cattle feces on one ranch that supplied spinach to Natural Selections Foods on the day of production in question. According to an issue update from the United Fresh Produce Association, Kevin Reilly of CDHS said that the investigators have now narrowed the investigation from nine to four ranches, now limited

California Giant Berry Farms, a leading strawberry shipper, and Sesame Workshop, the non-profit educational organization behind "Sesame Street," have teamed up to help educate children about the benefits of strawberries. Recent independent research shows that strawberries are among kids' favorite fruits. Based on these findings, new educational programs will focus on fun and exciting ways to encourage kids to make eating fresh fruit, like California Giant strawberries, part of their daily routine. With the rise in childhood obesity in the United States, both organizations agree that health

Work hard, play hard. If 25-year-old Mindy VanVleck had a life motto, that would sum things up nicely. This is the same person who approached Frank Davis, vice president of sales and marketing for Borton & Sons in Yakima, WA, to get an "informational interview" that turned into an internship. And it's the same person who set up a 280-foot slip-and-slide in her yard last year to give party guests a wet and wild time. Ms. VanVleck, who is now assistant director of sales at Borton & Sons, grew up in eastern Oregon in the small community of Brogan. She was one of 11 children who helped out on the

ALTA DEL CARMEN, CHILE - It will be weeks until substantial volume is shipped, but so far the Chilean fruit shipping season has been flawless. Among the earlier grapes shipped will be those of grower Omar Campillay of Agricola Campillay, here. The brilliantly sunny Transito Valley is almost 200 miles north of the larger and better-known deciduous growing area of Vicuna. The Transito River and wells provide life for Mr. Campillay's vineyards, which stretch seven kilometers up the valley from the expanded packinghouses of Agricola Campillay. This is the southern end of the Atacama Valley, a

SALINAS, CA -- Though the company hasn't officially changed its name, Green Giant Fresh by Growers Express is the new moniker of this well- established Salinas grower-shipper. The firm has been affiliated with Green Giant Fresh for the past several years, and it claims to currently pack and ship more than half of the volume of that brand, which now has more than a dozen different categories and scores of SKUs. To highlight the new emphasis, Green Giant Fresh by Growers Express held an open house Wednesday, Sept. 27, at its Salinas operation, where the company unveiled a new web site as well as