A hot lettuce market caused by decreased supplies blurred any impact that might have occurred following the late April report on NBC's television program "Dateline" linking several cases of E. coli-related sickness with bagged lettuce.

Dennis Donohue, president of European Vegetable Specialties in Salinas, CA, has been elected treasurer of the Grower-Shipper Association of Central California.

In agribusiness since 1988, Mr. Donohue worked for River Ranch, Fresh Express and Fresh Western before joining European Vegetable Specialties in 1996. He became president of the company two years later. EVS, a privately held company, is among the larger producers of radicchio in the world, with growing operations and customers in North America, South American, Europe and the Pacific Rim.

Del Monte Fresh Produce N.A. Inc. in Coral Gables, FL, has made four key appointments to its Asian, European and North American regions.

Jimmy Tenazas, formerly vice president of Del Monte Fresh's North American deciduous program in Coral Gables, will take on the role of vice president of the Asia-Pacific region in Hong Kong, China, and will report directly to Hani El-Naffy, president and chief operating officer of Del Monte Fresh Produce Co.

BANGKOK, THAILAND -- An agreement between the governments of Thailand and the United States is in place that will allow six fresh-market Thai fruits to be exported to the United States after undergoing treatment with irradiation. And while this means that U.S. marketers would have another source to satisfy the growing consumer demand for Asian and tropical products, there remains some uncertainly about the feasibility of bringing the items to the United States due to the high costs of production and transportation.

REEDLEY, CA -- It came as a surprise to the staff of the Reedley, CA-based California Tree Fruit Agreement, which had recommended a budget for the 2006 marketing season based on a steady-as-she-goes 20-cents-per-carton assessment on California peaches, nectarines and plums. But since the lighter crop volume would have necessitated a cutback in certain promotional programs if the assessment level were unchanged, the peach and nectarine committees both voted to increase their assessment by one penny, to 21 cents a carton, in order to be able to fully fund the planned programs.