NAPLES, FL -- Members of the Florida Tomato Exchange and the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange met Sept. 4 for their annual membership meetings at the Joint Tomato Conference, here, at the Ritz-Carlton Naples.

WASHINGTON -- United Fresh Produce Association President Tom Stenzel urged the Food & Drug Administration to take another look at the science behind the investigation into this summer's Salmonella outbreak with the hopes that tomatoes would be finally cleared as a possible cause.

Crowded onto buses and packed into an auditorium, more than 100 attendees of United's Washington Public Policy Conference met with FDA officials to discuss lessons learned from the Salmonella outbreak.

Chiquita Brands International Inc. dedicated Sept. 10 the James R. Lugg Global Research & Innovation Center in Salinas, CA, affirming the company's commitment to the Salinas Valley.

The center is named in honor of Mr. Lugg, Fresh Express' executive vice president for science and quality, and celebrates the contributions of Fresh Express employees to the fresh produce industry.

The center also will comprise the company's trial farms, pilot manufacturing plant, consumer test kitchen and a retail merchandising lab where value- added products are created and tested.

Robert and Helen Strube have established the Bob & Helen Strube Freedom from Hunger Fund to support the Greater Chicago Food Depository's distribution of fresh produce to hungry people.

The fund complements the Strube family's commitment to fighting hunger in the Chicago area. Mr. Strube, the former president of Strube Celery & Vegetable Co., established the food depository along with other community leaders in 1978. It distributed more than 46 million pounds of food last year to 500,000 people in Cook County.

The California Avocado Commission executed a succession of consumer co- marketing promotions for spring and summer, including a Build a Better Burger program tie-in with Sutter Home wines and a Fiesta de Flavor sweepstakes partnering with Corona beer.