New York fruit growers initially believed that the June 18 hailstorm may have caused as much as 60 percent crop loss, but a week later, reports indicate that while losses were major, they are not as bad as first thought.

"Assessments at this time are that statewide, approximately 6.5 [million] to 7 million bushels of apples have been damaged or destroyed in one degree or another," Jim Allen, president of the New York Apple Association in Fishers, NY, told The Produce News June 24.

WASHINGTON -- With Food & Drug Administration investigators searching for clues in Florida and Mexico as part of the traceback investigation involving tomatoes contaminated with Salmonella, some people are questioning what has gone wrong with the probe into the outbreak that has sickened more than 600 people, and which has taken more than three weeks.

WASHINGTON -- The Food & Drug Administration sent investigators this past weekend (June 21-22) to Mexico and Florida to test farms and packinghouses that turned up as leads, but there is still no word on what caused the Salmonella outbreak that has sickened more than 600 people so far.

FDA sent teams of multi-disciplinary experts to both Mexico and Florida to conduct joint inspections on the farms and other tomato handling sites throughout the distribution chain. FDA has yet to announce any findings from the trips.

For many years, the California garlic industry has faced stiff competition from low-priced garlic from China. As a result, the acreage of garlic planted in California declined steadily and sharply.

But garlic marketers say that while price-sensitive buyers still turn to Chinese garlic, there are customers that are loyal to California-grown product, primarily because of its superior flavor profile.

Ron Pelger, president and chief executive officer of RonProCon Power- Produce, is teaming with Grow My Profits LLC on its track and traceability business intelligence initiative, Anthony Totta, president and chief executive officer of Grow My Profits, announced in a press release.

"Ron has valuable retail experience as a director of produce," Mr. Totta said in the release. "He sees tremendous business intelligence coming from this technology and is whole-heartedly engaging with Grow My Profits' educational and training initiative."

With summer just around the corner and the prime California avocado season underway, the California Avocado Commission has launched the most wide- reaching consumer media campaign in its history.