SACRAMENTO, CA -- While a national debate on how to improve the safety of the U.S. food supply continues, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was honored by the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement for his role in developing an innovative food safety program.

The award was presented March 24 to Gov. Schwarzenegger as part of the state's celebration of Ag Day.

Chelsea is intelligent, and her father is the president.

However, this Chelsea's dad is named Chris, not Bill, and he is not a former president of the United States but rather president of E. Armata Inc., a longtime wholesaler located at the Hunts Point Terminal Market in the Bronx, NY.

Chelsea Armata, 20, is the fourth generation to work in the family-owned- and-operated business, and since January 2008, she has served as the executive assistant for her dad and her uncle Paul, the firm's vice president.

Both food suppliers and food retailers are in relatively good shape and should see modest sales and price gains in 2009, according to two economists who participated in a recent webinar sponsored by the Food Marketing Institute.

Ephraim Leibtag, who works with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service, and Kenneth Zaslow, a food analyst with BMO Capital Markets, looked at food prices and costs from a historical perspective and concluded that the sector is in much better shape than many other segments of the economy.

The Produce for Better Health Foundation has named Stemilt Growers Inc., based in Wenatchee, WA, the first company to attain its Non-Retail Role Model honors for its support of the Fruits & Veggies - More Matters health initiative.

The formal announcement of Stemilt's role model status will be made at the foundation's board of trustees meeting April 3 in Monterey, CA.

Stemilt Growers Inc., a family-owned tree fruit grower-packer-shipper, is a leading Washington-grown sweet cherry shipper that also ships Washington- grown apples and Northwest pears.

Ito Packing Co. Inc. in Reedley, CA, once one of the larger fruit-packing operations in California, has suspended its packing operation and discontinued its sales and marketing activities but will continue to grow fruit.

Craig Ito, the company's president, told The Produce News that Ito Packing will no longer be packing or marketing fruit, confirming rumors and speculation to that effect from several sources.

Flooding in the Red River Valley, reported on some national news outlets, is having no impact on Red River Valley potato growers, according to Ted Kreis, marketing director for the Northern Plains Potato Growers Association, based in East Grand Forks, MN.

Mr. Kreis told The Produce News March 23 that the flooding is "upstream" around Fargo, ND. "Upstream" on the Red River Valley is unique in the United States as a southerly direction for a major river. The Red River of the north flows north into Canada.