Production numbers for California apples for the 2007-08 season likely will come in a little lower than the 3.4 million boxes of fresh apples shipped during the 2006-07 year, according to Alex Ott, executive director of the California Apple Commission.

Mr. Ott said that estimates have this year's shipments at 3 million to 3.1 million boxes. The final tally for the 2005-06 season wrapped up at 3.6 million boxes; 2004-05 was 3.9 million boxes.

Santiago, Chile-based Comite de Paltas de Chile estimated that the Hass avocado crop would be down 33-37 percent from last year's record production figures.

The volume of Hass avocados that Chile will export to its international markets in the 2007-08 season - which runs from July 2007 to February 2008 - is between 230 million and 242 million pounds.

The crop losses stem from a freeze that struck avocado-growing areas in Chile early in the week of July 10. The shortfall is expected to be felt most severely during late August and early September.

Bill Maker III, a salesman at Monterey, CA-based FoodSource, died Aug. 6 at age 45 of an undisclosed cause. He was a resident of Salinas, CA.

Mr. Maker was born May 2, 1962, in Salinas. He left some impressive footsteps to follow for younger brothers Mike and Wyatt, the latter a commodity manager at Castroville, CA-based Ocean Mist Farms.

The Produce Exchange, based in Livermore, CA, has launched a web site for the "Emeril" brand line of products. The Produce Exchange is the exclusive sales, marketing and distributing agent for the brand.

The web site is separate from the www.emerils.com site that Chef Emeril Lagasse uses for his overall business.

Calavo Growers Inc. in Santa Paula, CA, announced Aug. 13 that it has entered into a marketing and distribution agreement with Agricola Belher, a major grower of tomatoes in Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico.

The initiative will "further enhance" Calavo's "diversified fresh products business with the planned introduction of 'Calavo' brand tomatoes late this fall," the release stated. "In conjunction with the agreement, the Mexican company will be making substantial investments in infrastructure to support the new program."

U.S. Secretary of Health & Human Services Mike Leavitt, FDA Commissioner Andrew Von Eschenbach and Associate FDA Commissioner Margaret Glavin toured the Del Monte Fresh port facility in Camden, NJ, Aug. 6 as part of a two-week tour of imported-food facilities around the country.