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.

Grand Junction, MI-based MBG Marketing's board of directors hired Frank G. Bragg III for its chief executive officer position to take effect Jan. 2. Mr. Bragg has been working closely with E. Kirk McCreary, the current CEO, to ensure a smooth and productive transition for the blueberry promoting organization.

The selection of Mr. Bragg culminated a search process initiated by the board in February. A special selection committee, assisted by one of the top executive placement firms in the produce industry, conducted a national search to identify the right candidate.

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.