Top officials with the Western Growers Association plan to meet with leafy green businesses in early January to explain the proposed California marketing agreement and to urge them to strongly support it at the Jan. 12 public meeting in Salinas.

A new Gallup poll released earlier this month shows that Americans are more vigilant about food safety warnings but still have confidence in foods sold in grocery stores and restaurants.

The Dec. 8-10 telephone poll of 1,004 adults showed that Americans maintain a high level of confidence in the safety of foods they eat, despite news in recent months of contaminated bagged spinach sold in grocery stores and the Taco Bell incident.

WASHINGTON -- The farm bill and food safety issues are just two of the issues on the agenda for the Jan. 23-24 meeting of the USDA's Fruit & Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee here.

Originally chartered in 2001, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns named 25 produce industry members to serve two-year terms on the committee earlier this year. Committee members represent fresh fruit and vegetable growers-shippers, wholesalers, retailers, industry trade associations, importers, processors, foodservice suppliers, brokers and state departments of agriculture.

WASHINGTON -- The United Fresh Produce Association announced that its board of directors has elected to continue its partnership with the Food Marketing Institue show, first launched with the co-location of its trade shows in 2004.

SURREY, BC -- The growers, board of directors and staff of BC Hot House Foods Inc. bid farewell to Dawn E. Gray at the BCHH grower meeting held Thursday, Dec. 14.

After four dedicated years of service, Ms. Gray is stepping down as executive vice president of sales and marketing at BC Hot House Foods. During her tenure there, Ms. Gray devoted her time to building and strengthening grower relations, creating trade programs with lasting partners, establishing 12- month supply programs and overseeing all sales activities and marketing functions.

One day several years ago, as she and her father sat talking, Jessica Peri posed a question.

"I asked him what he was going to do when he retired," Ms. Peri recounted. "And he said he'd probably sell the company. It scared me -- I didn't want that to happen."