Georgia's Vidalia onion industry is responding to the brutal murder of a 15-year-old Toombs County girl who was vacationing with her family in Florida earlier this summer. The Courtney Wilkes Memorial Agriculture & Veterinary Scholarship will be granted annually to a qualifying senior graduating from high school within the Vidalia onion-growing region. Donations are being accepted with the hope that a thousand-dollar scholarship can be awarded for a minimum of 10 years.

WASHINGTON — Produce businesses tuned in Aug. 30 for a United Fresh Produce Association-sponsored webinar to hear the latest news on the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s “current thinking” regarding implementing yet-to-be-released produce safety regulation.

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s import alert issued Aug. 25, which requires papayas from Mexico to be detained until they can be tested for Salmonella contamination, does not apply to fruit from other countries, said a leading importer of papayas from Brazil.

In a departure from its typical cooperative activity, the California Tomato Farmers co-op has teamed with Subway on a promotion in all 3,000 of the food chain’s California stores to highlight locally grown tomatoes during the summer months of July, August and September.

“And depending upon supply, we are hoping that the promotion moves into October as well,” said Ed Beckman, chief executive officer of CTF, which represents about 85 percent of California’s field-grown tomatoes.

On the heels of the Aug. 22 suit it filed against the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, Del Monte Fresh Produce N.A. has filed a notice to sue Oregon Health Authority’s Public Health Division and one of its officials.

Tess Holzer

TESS HOLZER has joined Adam Bros. Produce Sales Inc.