RIO RICO, AZ -- Members of the Nogales produce industry convened at the 38th annual Nogales Produce Convention & Golf Tournament, here, Nov. 29- Dec. 2 to explore ideas about promoting the quality and availability of their products.

Highlighting the gathering were educational sessions held Nov. 29 and a two- day golf tournament Dec. 1-2.

Taco Bell Corp. announced Dec. 6 that it had removed green onions from its nearly 6,000 restaurants nationwide after its own preliminary tests showed the onions were tainted with E. coli O157:H7.

By press time, more than 40 people in five states were sickened from E. coli O157:H7, and federal food-safety officials believed that the latest information points the finger at diced green onions that were precut and bagged exclusively for Taco Bell.

WASHINGTON -- Two days after Taco Bell pulled green onions from its restaurants, a Pennsylvania man has sued Taco Bell and green onion supplier Boskovich Farms, saying that his E. coli O157:H7 infection was tied to tainted green onions served at the Mexican fast-food restaurant.

But the Food & Drug Administration said that federal authorities have yet to pinpoint a source of the outbreak, which has grown to 63 confirmed cases of E. coli infection in six states.

International Paper and Robert Mann Packaging Inc. have aligned to deliver The Total Package, an extensive array of packaging and distribution solutions, for strawberry growers, shippers and retailers.

Through the alliance, West Coast customers can enjoy beneficial packaging solutions and a strong distribution and customer service network.

PHILADELPHIA -- Organic cherry tomatoes grown in the Dominican Republic are a new item in the marketing mix for T.M. Kovacevich International, here.

Fran Carfagno, who is managing that item for Kovacevich, said in a Nov. 16 interview that he expected the season's first tomatoes to arrive Nov. 22 by air. Container volumes were to begin arriving the first week of December at the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal in Philadelphia.

The Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, headquartered in the state's capital of Tallahassee, is the largest state agriculture department in the United States. Craig Meyer, deputy commissioner of the department, said that the status of the Florida crop this year is very good quality, but the volume is still down from prehurricane damage the state suffered over the past couple of years.