WASHINGTON -- Retailers and produce suppliers will be meeting next month to review the industry's leafy greens action plan as buyers push to gain confidence in next spring's leafy green crops. The Food Marketing Institute is holding a meeting Dec. 5 in Phoenix to hear an update on the cpntaminated spinach investigation, review the produce industry's new action plan and develop new purchasing guidelines for leafy greens. More than 200 people in 26 states were sickened and several people died after eating California-grown fresh spinach contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. Months later, the spinach

Peter Jensen was appointed to the newly created position of vice president of operations at Naturipe Farms, headquartered in Naples, FL. The position was created as part of the company's commitment to growth and building the "Naturipe Farms" brand. Mr. Jensen, who will work from the company's Salinas, CA, office, brings more than 28 years of experience in agricultural economics, international trade and the operational aspects of perishable fruits and vegetables. Prior to joining Naturipe Farms, he spent nine years with Monterey Mushrooms in Watsonville, CA, where he most recently served as

SALINAS, CA -- The most recent great idea to come out of the Salinas Valley is only several days old but already is spreading across the nation. Word travels fast when carried on a bumper sticker. "I " Spinach" bumper stickers are the brainchild of several members of the Central Coast chapter of Young Farmers & Ranchers. The stickers also say "Support Salinas Valley Growers" and have a tagline that reads "Central Coast Young Farmers & Ranchers." The idea was to show support for both spinach and Salinas Valley growers in the aftermath of the recent E. coli 0157:H7 outbreak. While it appears

Grower-shippers in California are supporting a proposed change in table grape standards that will allow an additional 10 percent shatter allowance at destination in consumer packs, such as clamshells or bags. The proposal has been debated in the grower-shipper ranks for the past several years, which led to the U.S. Department of Agriculture-proposed change in the grade standard published in the Federal Register in late October. Comments on the proposed change are being accepted until late November. Following normal protocol, the USDA will consider those comments and then issue a final rule

The California Tomato Commission may downsize in 2007, but it will remain committed to food safety with a mandated program establishing a food safety committee that will address a broad spectrum of issues related to tomato production under Good Agricultural Practices. The new committee was announced by commission Chairman Ron Onteo following the Nov. 2 board of directors meeting. "While the commission is in the process of restructuring to that of a research-focused program, we will not abandon our commitment to food safety and industry education that began with the release of the first Good

In the aftermath of a tumultuous past several months for the fresh produce industry that shook consumer confidence due to E. coli contamination in spinach and a false alarm of harmful E. coli in leafy greens, growers generally seem to have taken a conservative approach to their acreage planted in the western U.S. desert regions. Add to the mix a rough season in the desert last year with sluggish markets and labor shortages, and growers are not laying bets that salad days have returned. Castroville, CA-based Ocean Mist Farms grows the majority of its winter crops in California's Coachella