OAKLAND, CA -- The first public hearing convened by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration since the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak associated with fresh spinach in September offered little new information about the outbreak more than six months ago, but it furthered the food-safety discussion among many of the usual industry representatives. The food-safety hearing, which gave special attention to leafy green vegetables, drew a moderate turnout of grower-shippers, industry trade association representatives, consumer groups and the public to the Ronald Dellums Federal Building, here. Public comments

SAN FRANCISCO -- At press events on both coasts, the new tagline for the Produce for Better Health Foundation's marketing campaign was rolled out the week of March 19. Using kids and a chef cooking contest in the backdrop, the new "Fruits & Veggies - More Matters" campaign was launched March 19 at a Safeway store, here, and again March 21 at a Kroger Supermarket in Atlanta. PBH President and Chief Executive Officer Elizabeth Pivonka said that both events went well, and the media coverage was fairly good considering it was clearly a "soft news story." The U.S. Centers for Disease Control &

VISALIA, CA -- In the wake of a prolonged and widespread freeze in January that devastated an estimated 70 percent of the remaining California winter citrus crop still on the trees, the California citrus industry has done an admirable job of protecting its reputation for quality by keeping freeze- damaged fruit off the market, according to several speakers and panelists at California Citrus Mutual's California Citrus Showcase held here on Thursday, March 8. Even so, the industry and the regulators who are responsible for enforcing relevant protocols are mulling over the prospect of making

At a board meeting Thursday, March 15, the California Avocado Commission "voted unanimously to take aggressive action against the importation of Mexican avocados with dangerous scale pests coming into California," according to a March 16 commission memo to the industry. The commissioners agreed to follow three courses of action, according to the memo: to "continue to apply extreme pressure on all fronts" to resolve a "jurisdictional issue between the California Department of Food & Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Agriculture" arising out of differences between state and federal

BASILICATA, ITALY -- Produce professionals from around the world kept busy at the workshop and mission in Basilicata, Italy, in mid-January (see The Produce News, Feb. 5). If the nearly non-stop wave of Italian food and wine weren't enough to keep their minds on what the region has to offer, the extensive field, packing and distribution facility, and greenhouse tours were filling their days full of details on which to concentrate. But these savvy professionals didn't miss the opportunity to speak with fellow travelers from the United States to learn more about what U.S. producers can offer

Fred L. Williamson, a well-known tomato industry leader and co-founder of Andrew Williamson Fresh Produce in San Diego, died March 20, at the age of 70. Company spokesperson Mark Munger said Mr. Williamson had been sicker than he let on and that pneumonia was the official cause of death. A native of Plymouth, NH, Mr. Williamson moved to Oceanside, CA, as a child, and he lived there the rest of his life. A graduate of Cal Western College in San Diego, his first position in the produce industry was tomato sales manager with Kawano Bros. Inc. in Oceanside, where he worked with his best friend