Before the current National Football League season got underway, who would have predicted that the 2005 Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers would have compiled such a losing record thus far this year? Hard to believe, isn't it? It's amazing how professional sports teams can be so highly victorious one year and fall flat on their backs the next. It's a whole lot easier becoming number one than it is to remain number one.

This year's Chilean Hass avocado season is in full swing with a crop expected to provide the retail community with a consistent supply of fruit supported by an aggressive communications campaign.

VISALIA, CA -- Some 400 peach, plum and nectarine growers and shippers who gathered here for the California Tree Fruit Agreement's annual dinner bid farewell to Blair Richardson, who is stepping down after five years at the organization's helm, and welcomed the new president, Sheri Mierau, who has been serving as vice president of marketing.

WASHINGTON -- The E. coli outbreak that has sickened 71 people on the East Coast is over and it appears that the suspected lettuce is no longer being served, according to the Food & Drug Administration.

This is good news for Taco Bell, which has been running ads to lure customers back to the embattled fast-food chain. "We are pleased this outbreak is over, and we look forward to serving our customers at all our restaurants," said Greg Creed, president of Taco Bell Corp.

The following statement was released Wednesday evening, Dec. 13 by Produce Marketing Association President Bryan Silbermann.

Tonight officials of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration and U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention stated that although they believe the most likely food vehicle in the Taco Bell E. coli outbreak is shredded lettuce, they also stated that the investigation remains ongoing. The produce industry continues to work closely with state and federal authorities to identify the cause of the outbreak.

WASHINGTON -- After discounting green onions, health officials now believe the most likely source of the Taco Bell outbreak is lettuce, which could deal another crippling blow to an industry struggling to regain buyer and consumer confidence.