LAS VEGAS -- A panel of restaurant and foodservice industry experts at the United Fresh Produce Association convention, held April 21-25, here, agreed that one of the key growth trends in menu development is the use of fresh ingredients. They all agreed, of course, that this bodes well for the fresh fruit and vegetable industry.

Growers in some parts of Georgia took a heavy hit with rain in the past month. In some areas of the state, as much as 25 inches fell in about a one- week period. Several cold fronts passed over the state during the same period, compounding crop issues for producers.

"We won't know the full extent of the crop damage for a while," Calvert Cullen, co-owner of Northampton Growers, headquartered in Cheriton, VA, told The Produce News the last week in April. "It will be a progressive assessment because of the shock aspect."

Eagle Eye Produce Inc., headquartered in Idaho Falls, ID, has solidified its position as a year-round grower and shipper of watermelons following its recently announced acquisition of John Livacich Produce, located in Corona, CA.

"That bridged a gap for us in having a year-round program," Eagle Eye Produce President Newman Giles told The Produce News. "Both companies have a long history and a good customer base."

The export office at Columbia Marketing International, based in Wenatchee, WA, is losing one of its longtime sales associates. Henrik Weiseth is retiring today, May 1.

Mr. Weiseth, who was born in Norway and educated in Argentina and the United States, has been involved in the international fruit and vegetable sector for the past 37 years. He imported fruit for Bama Gruppen in Norway and Viking Fruit in Sweden for 20 years, creating and maintaining strategic business relationships in markets that included Argentina, New Zealand, southern Europe and the United States.

WASHINGTON -- Federal health officials warned consumers April 26 to avoid eating raw alfalfa sprouts after another Salmonella outbreak raised questions about the industry's compliance with the Fod & Drug Administration's 10- year-old safety guidelines.

A top FDA official said that the agency plans to take a close look at the 1999 Sprout Guidance to see if companies are adhering to the recommendations as FDA continues tracking down seed lots that may be responsible for the Salmonella outbreak that has sickened 31 people so far.

LAS VEGAS -- Intelligent Global Pooling Systems, an Orlando, FL-based provider of recyclable plastic pallets, says that its products offer many advantages over competing wood pallets.

Bob Moore, chief executive officer of iGPS, told The Produce News that studies conducted by Environmental Resources Management, a leading worldwide environmental management consultancy, show that iGPS pallets are superior to wood pallets in a number of ways.

One of the key advantages is the difference in weight between the two types of pallets.