A drought in Florida may result in more than $1 billion in statewide economic losses over the next two years if conditions continue as they are today. "Some agricultural industries like cattle, citrus and sugar won't feel the worst of their financial pains until 2008 and 2009," said Charles Bronson, commissioner of the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services. The department said that normal summer rains have eased the severity of urban water shortages throughout the state but not enough to raise the water level of Lake Okeechobee, which supplies water to the dense population and

Eagle, ID-based Global Juices & Fruits LLC soon will add mangos to its line of cut-fruit-in-glass products. The line is all organic. The mango item should be on store shelves nationwide by September, joining the company's other cut-fruit-in-glass products: pineapple, papaya and tropical fruit cocktail, all certified organic by the U.S. Department of Aggriculture. Tropical fruit cocktail is a mixture of pineapples, papayas, mangos and watermelons. The line comes in 24-ounce jars, though a smaller size is in the works for Canada. The line, which started shipping in May, has met with mixed

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Food & Drug Administration has toured more than 50 fields and five packinghouses in the Eastern Shore of Virginia as part of its Tomato Safety Initiative, which was launched this summer in response to repeated outbreaks. "Our assessment was more observational," Samir Assar of FDA's Center for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition said in reference to the July visits, adding that some of the Virginia tomato operations were the focus of past outbreak investigations. "We're looking at areas associated with farming practices, such as water distribution, open water sources and

LEDYARD, CT -- As in a supermarket where the produce department is front and center, leading shoppers to the rest of the store, fresh produce exhibitors at Bozzuto's Inc.'s Independent Retailer Conference, held here Aug. 14-15, were the first exhibits that attendees enjoyed, leading them into the rest of the show. The two-day event began Tuesday morning, Aug. 14, with welcoming remarks by Steve Heggelke, senior vice president of merchandising, procurement and advertising for Bozzuto's. He spoke a bit about the wholesale grocer's new Merchandising Innovation & Training Center, a live training

Amazon.com, which added some bulk grocery items to its product line last year, is now test marketing an on-line grocery delivery service, including some perishables, in a limited way near its Seattle headquarters. The on-line site is called AmazonFresh. The company has picked Mercer Island, an upscale neighborhood in Lake Washington that connects Seattle and its eastern suburbs via a bridge, as its test market. The company has announced no timetable for the expansion of the service; rather it will evaluate this test effort as it goes along. Amazon.com will offer several different delivery

Continuing the celebration of its 60th anniversary, the Quebec Produce Marketing Association will hold its 60th annual convention Aug. 23-25 at the Fairmount Tremblant in Mont-Tremblant, QC. With the theme "60 Years of Love," convention attendees will be treated to many exciting activities at the world-renowned resort town nestled at the foot of the Laurentian Mountains about 90 minutes from Montreal. The convention location is a special one for the QPMA, as it held its 50th convention there 10 years ago. "It is a memorable place for the association, and I really think that it is amazing that