WASHINGTON  Minnesota officials are calling it the "smoking gun." For the first time, a laboratory has found E. coli O157:H7 in two bags of prepackaged lettuce in connection to the Dole lettuce recall.

In Minnesota, 23 people have become sick because of an E. coli outbreak linked to bagged salads. State health officials began investigating reports of E. coli O157:H7 disease and followed the trail to prepackaged Dole lettuce purchased from at least four different Rainbow Foods grocery stores in the Twin Cities area Sept. 13-16.

While the Florida citrus industry got a spot of good news Oct. 12 with the release of the 2005-06 citrus crop forecast, the beleaguered industry still has a long way to go toward recovery in the face of the devastating canker and citrus greening plights.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said that it expects the state's orange crop to produce 190 million boxes during the coming season  27 percent more than the 149.6 million boxes produced last year.

Dandrea Produce will double its Chilean fruit volume this year as the result of the acquisition of a 50 percent interest in a partnership between a Chilean grower and a U.S.-based importer.

According to Steve Dandrea, who is involved in sales for Landisville, NJ-based Dandrea Produce, his company acquired a 50 percent share in the partnership between importer Andes River in Cherry Hill, NJ, and Copefrut, a grower based in Chile. Mr. Dandrea said that Copefrut is one of Chile's larger growers of stone fruit, apples and cherries, and it also handles grapes and kiwifruit.

While the Texas produce industry avoided a direct hit from last month's Hurricane Rita, there are short- and long-term effects from that storm as well as Hurricane Katrina, said John McClung of the Texas Produce Association.

"We lost no crops or acreage," said Mr. McClung, and the hurricane didnt disrupt any immediate shipments of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Additionally, he said that the imports that typically come into Texas enter by truck via the southern border with Mexico, which also wasnt affected by Hurricane Rita.

William Garin, heralded as one the early and top promoters of Iceberg lettuce, died of natural causes Oct. 9 at his home in Salinas, CA. He was 84.

There will be no rush to fill the position recently vacated by Tim Debus, who recently resigned from the International Banana Association to take a position with IFCO Systems.

The IBA contracted with United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association in Washington, DC, to manage the banana group when Robert Moore retired in 1999 after heading the IBA for decades.