NEW YORK -- If you've been to New York and missed eating at Peter Luger Steak House, get your carnivore appetite back here.

The Brooklyn location (a second restaurant on Long Island in Great Neck opened in 1960) has been dishing out the finest USDA Prime steaks since 1887. It was originally established as Carl Luger's Caf?, Billiards & Bowling Alley in the predominantly German neighborhood tucked under the Williamsburg Bridge.

On July 27, The Produce Exchange will show the new variety of Roma tomato developed by vegetable-seed company Nunhems at the upcoming 2008 Produce Marketing Association's Foodservice Conference, to be held July 25- 27 in Monterey, CA.

The tomato was introduced at the United Fresh Produce Association/Food Marketing Institute convention held in May in Las Vegas and drew a lot of positive responses, said Dennis Werner, general manager for the branded group at The Produce Exchange, which is based in Livermore, CA.

SALINAS, CA -- Rumors about the financial health of Mills Family Farms have been circulating for months, and the firm is currently working on restructuring its businesses, according to a well-known public relations figure recently retained by the company.

"There are a number of discussions that are taking place daily" in an effort to resolve Mills' problems, said David Armanasco, a recognized public relations figure in Monterey County.

In addition to its farming operations, Mills has substantial real estate holdings in the Monterey area.

Two produce trade groups teamed up June 24 to host a webinar in an attempt to clear up some of the confusion about the upcoming country-of-origin labeling law due to go into effect later this fall.

In July, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is expected to release the latest interpretation of the just-passed farm bill with the much-favored labeling changes. Before that, buyers and sellers of fresh produce must prepare packaging and signage to comply with the Sept. 30 deadline for country-of- origin labeling.

WASHINGTON -- The Salmonella outbreak investigation that has fingered tomatoes for a month just took an unusual turn when federal health officials acknowledged that they are "expanding the investigation" to other produce items commonly served with tomatoes.

Vancouver, BC-based spud! has moved onto the San Francisco Wholesale Produce Market. The company -- which claims to be North America's largest on-line organic home grocer -- acquired Organic Express and moved into the space Organic Express occupied on the San Francisco Wholesale Produce Market.

Organic Express had been making deliveries of fresh organic produce to homes and offices since 1995. As a home deliverer of 100 percent certified- organic produce and groceries, the company easily was the largest in its niche in the San Francisco Bay area.