After a voluntary recall this past spring of roasted pistachios from its 2008 crop due to concerns about Salmonella contamination, Setton Pistachios of Terra Bella Inc. has unveiled a new food-safety program that company officials believe is one of the more advanced in the industry.

"We undertook a voluntary recall in the spring, and [our] response was an absolute commitment to the science behind food safety," Lee Cohen, the Terra Bella, CA-based firm's general manager, told The Produce News Sept. 9.

WASHINGTON -- Health and nutrition advocates, along with moms and dads, want more fresh fruits and vegetables in the diets of school children, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture has established a program to support that trend.

In March, USDA introduced a pilot program to school districts in five states -- California, Michigan, North Carolina, New York and Pennsylvania -- that provided students with fresh-cut apple slices. Apples were processed and packaged into single-serve, two-ounce bags, similar to those found in children's meals at major fast-food restaurants.

ORANGE COVE, CA -- Booth Ranches LLC, a family-owned, fully integrated citrus grower, packer and shipper, signed an agreement the week of Sept. 7 to purchase an existing packing facility presently owned by Sunny Cove Citrus LLC.

This acquisition will more than double Booth's volume packing capacity, according to Neil Galone, vice president of marketing and sales at Booth. "Our volume continues to grow as a result of a long-term strategy, and this new packinghouse will give us the increased capacity to get us to the next level," he said in a Sept. 16 press release.

WASHINGTON -- A salad bar in every school was just one of a handful of pressing legislative priorities that brought more than 400 produce leaders to attend the United Fresh Produce Association's Washington Public Policy Conference, held here Sept. 9-11.

More than half of the produce industry representatives gathered met with congressional staff during the annual conference, carrying a message to boost nutrition programs, pass a produce-friendly food safety bill, reform immigration policies and block the Employee Free Choice Act.

WASHINGTON -- A salad bar in every school was just one of a handful of pressing legislative priorities that brought more than 400 produce leaders to attend the United Fresh Produce Association's Washington Public Policy Conference, held here Sept. 9-11.

More than half of the produce industry representatives gathered met with congressional staff during the annual conference, carrying a message to boost nutrition programs, pass a produce-friendly food safety bill, reform immigration policies and block the Employee Free Choice Act.

NAPLES, FL -- Even the worst season in a decade was not enough to keep tomato grower-shippers and attendees of the 34th annual Florida Joint Tomato Conference from focusing on the future.

"Dreadful," committee Chairman Bob Spencer said in summarizing the 2008- 09 season in the Florida Tomato Committee's annual report, which was released at the conference, held Sept. 8-14 at the Ritz-Carlton-Naples, here. It is doubtful the industry could survive another season like this one.