Each year, visitors walk onto the floor of the annual Produce Marketing Association Fresh Summit International Convention & Exposition to view hundreds of exhibitor booths (774 are now booked for the Oct. 12-15 expo in Houston). Many are elaborately designed and decorated with bold graphics, colorful displays, floral arrangements, flowing banners and other unique, eye-catching details. Gorgeous, fresh produce -- enough to feed a proverbial army -- overwhelms the visual senses. Mariachi music may pour through the huge convention hall from the Mexican pavilion, while uniformed or cleverly clad

WASHINGTON -- Food safety may be one of many hot-button issues that could hang up the 2007 farm bill this year as the deadline approaches for the Senate to take up the massive legislation. At an Oct. 2 press conference, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) criticized language in the House version of the farm bill that would allow state-inspected meat to be shipped across the country. Other issues, such as tougher safety requirements for imports, a new federal fresh produce safety program, and even AgJOBs, could come up. The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry was expected to take up the

Sunny Valley Organics Inc. in Nogales, AZ, is introducing a line of organic heirloom tomatoes. Grown in greenhouses in various locations in Mexico, the products will be available year round, according to Miguel Crisantes Sr., the company's owner and general manager. The product line will consist of large Beefsteak heirloom tomatoes in assorted varieties and colors as well as mini-tomatoes, also in assorted varieties and colors. "This is one of our new items we are going to be showing off at the PMA," Mr. Crisantes told The Produce News. That is providing the fruit is ready to harvest by then.

Tristan Millar Kieva, vice president of marketing at Los Angeles-based Sun Pacific Marketing Cooperative, will be leaving Sun Pacific Oct. 9 to take a job as head of the brand marketing division of Consumer Effects International in Sacramento, CA. Consumer Effects, which was recently acquired by Sacramento-based Augustine & Associates, is a consumer-marketing agency that works with retailers and their suppliers to boost sales. Ms. Kieva has been in food marketing for more than 15 years, "most of that time in produce," she told The Produce News Oct. 2. "I worked as a director of marketing for

GREENSBORO, NC -- The Southeast Produce Council's annual fall conference, held here Sept. 27-29, drew more attendees than ever before, who heard about the latest industry trends, opportunities and challenges during an informative Supply Chain Summit and enjoyed the many fun-filled activities during the course of the three-day event. Also during the conference, which took place at the Grandover Resort in the foothills of North Carolina, the SPC board of directors approved a new Lifetime Achievement Award, to be presented in conjunction with The Produce News, during the council's annual

The Idaho Potato Commission announced the appointment of Kent Beesley as retail promotions director for the West. Mr. Beesley will be responsible for educating retailers on how Idaho potatoes can help boost profits in the potato category in grocery stores and other venues where potatoes are sold. His territory covers Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Washington. Mr. Beesley has more than 34 years experience in the produce industry. Most recently, he was an account manager at Melissa's/World Variety Produce, where he was responsible for selling