The speakers are set, the exhibitors are ready to showcase their products, the tours are in place and registration is up from last year. In other words, everything is positioned to make this year?s Southeast Produce Council conference and expo a success.

?Like father like son? is an expression that certainly applies to Mike Franzoia, who handles sales and marketing for California Flower Shippers Inc. and was named president of the California Association of Flower Growers & Shippers in December.

Results from a new Produce Marketing Association consumer survey have found that only slightly more than one-third of consumers are aware of the fruit and vegetable recommendations contained in the recently released 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and that the concept of what constitutes a "serving? of produce varied widely among respondents.

Bab? Farms in Santa Maria, CA, is re-introducing six of its value-added baby veggies in new two-pound packaging.

French beans, yellow wax beans, sno peas, baby squash, baby zucchini and hand-peeled baby carrots now come in packaging that assures 14-day shelf life with optimum refrigeration.

In addition to delivering farm-fresh flavor and appearance that can establish brand preference, the new packaging offers the convenience of in-the-bag preparation for microwaving, steaming or boiling.

WASHINGTON " A new European Union rule slated to go into effect April 1 will require that all U.S. apples for the European market be inspected, a move that has infuriated U.S. apple companies.

The U.S. apple industry has been pushing the U.S. Department of Agriculture to fight the April 1 rule as a trade barrier, and its efforts may be paying off as new Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns pledged to help resolve the issue at a congressional hearing last month.

Continuing its efforts to link diet with health, California-based Kaiser Permanente has made space available in one of its hospital campuses for a retail market that is truly a health food store.

The Food Mill, an Oakland, CA, fixture for the past 70 years, has opened a second store based on the premise that it only sells healthy items.

'We only sell items that are good for you,' said Kirk Watkins, owner and produce buyer. "Our items have no trans fat and are low in carbs, sugars and fats. A diabetic could shop this store and eat anything in it."