VANCOUVER, BC -- BC Hot House Foods Inc., here, and Greenhouse Produce Co. LLC. in Vero Beach, FL, jointly announced Dec. 13 the formation of their new sales and marketing company.

The grower-owned company will market all greenhouse produce grown by the producers of both companies. The company will be led by President Brian Beggs; sales and marketing will be directed by Vice President of Sales and Marketing Fried De Schouwer.

Tanya Fell was appointed executive director of the Colorado Onion Association on Nov. 1. Her appointment follows the resignation of Vickie Root, who stepped down from the position to pursue a career in real estate.

"I am very honored to work for the COA," Ms. Fell stated. "I have missed the onion industry and am very excited to be involved again."

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture is proposing another rate hike to certify fresh fruits and vegetables at terminal markets and is promising more increases to follow.

The proposed 15 percent increase, which amounts to an additional $2.4 million, is needed to help cover program costs, maintain adequate reserves and update technology, according to USDA. Agriculture officials inspect, grade and certify fresh fruits and vegetables and other products on a voluntary, user-fee basis.

Bell peppers and other row crops in California's Coachella Valley suffered damage as a result of a cold snap that began in the area around Nov. 29.

The extent of the damage in part depends on where crops lie in the Coachella Valley and how long the cold lasts. Temperatures dipped to below freezing the morning of Dec. 5, and similar conditions were also being experienced in California's Imperial Valley.

During a conference call Monday evening, Dec. 11 with produce associations, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration stated that it was unable to confirm the preliminary presumptive positive test results for E. coli O157:H7 that were taken from samples obtained from Taco Bell.

According to an announcement by the Produce Marketing Association, all samples tested by FDA, including those tested by Taco Bell's independent laboratory, were negative for the presence of the pathogen.

WASHINGTON -- Taco Bell's rapid test that fingered green onions as the likely cause of the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak came up negative after more thorough testing, leaving health officials to continue probing for other likely sources, the Food & Drug Administration said in a Dec. 11 press conference.

"There's nothing to implicate green onions right now," said David Acheson, chief medical officer for FDA's Center for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition.