Mike Browne, president, CEO and founding partner of Fresh Directions International in Ventura, CA, is no longer part of the company?s management, but he retains his 25 percent interest in the business, according to Manuel Castillo Jr., the son of the majority partner who is "helping out through the transition? until a replacement is named.

The Florida tomato industry has launched a campaign designed to reach consumers with the message that there is no shortage of tomatoes from the Sunshine State.

The effort includes participation from virtually every segment of the tomato industry " from suppliers to trade associations to the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services and even to retailers.

Why people might think there is a shortage " and a subsequent increase in retail prices " is due to a chain of events that has occurred over the past six months.

?Two to three years ago, Wal-Mart executives decided they wanted to grow their cut-flower and bouquet business," said Jennifer Springer, merchandising manager for Wal-Mart?s national floral program.

The company recognized that the grocery portion of its chain was where the floral was best placed.

Wal-Mart placed its focus on cash-and-carry cut flowers, and set goals to deliver the best value to its customers with the highest-quality flowers at the best-possible price.

The Walla Walla Sweet Onion Marketing Committee, headquartered in Walla Walla, WA, recently debuted a new-and-improved web site (www.sweetonion.org) that provides consumer information, links to shippers? web sites, a recipe database and a historical look at the region?s most famed onion.

According to Kathy Fry, director of marketing for the committee, the site not only looks different but it also "allows visitors to access information more easily."

HOFFMAN ESTATES, IL " FreshLook Marketing Group, a leading supplier of marketing research information to the perishables industry, announced that the California Tree Fruit Agreement in Reedley, CA, has renewed its contract and will continue to rely on FreshLook to provide detailed distribution, sales and pricing information on fresh peaches, plums and nectarines.

Los Alamitos, CA-based Frieda?s Inc. is bringing back its Waterbabies personal-sized watermelons.

Exclusively from Frieda?s, Waterbabies are grown in Panama. The company introduced Waterbabies to the industry last April.

The solid, bright-green, smooth-skin melons are round in shape and approximately eight inches in size. The melons are seedless and sweet with a high Brix content. Each melon is labeled with serving suggestions and a PLU number.

Last year the melons sold well at retail.