PLEASANTON, CA - A capacity crowd of more than than 200 industry professionals attended a special Fresh Produce & Floral Council Northern California luncheon Jan. 30 at the Crown Plaza Hotel, here.

Master of ceremonies for the event was Geoff White of Safeway Stores Inc., and Tony ("The Fresh Grocer") Tantillo of Farm Fresh LLC was the guest speaker.

The cold front that moved through California in mid-January has resulted in higher f.o.b. prices for many vegetables, citrus and strawberries, which are being reflected at retail across the country.

"We don't jump our prices right away," said Mark Maxwell of H.G. Hill Stores, a small chain in Nashville, TN. "We wait until our costs go up and then we do pass the increases on to our customers."

Carolina Tomato Inc. in Columbia, SC, has ceased operations and owes its creditors as much as $15 million.

The firm's attorney, O. Max Gardner III, sent a letter dated Jan. 23 to many of the firm's produce creditors asking that they do not take legal action and instead consider a yet-to-be determined settlement offer.

For the past year, there have been abundant rumors, industry speculation and even movement from Tesco confirming that this giant European-based grocery retailer is coming to the United States.

In fact, the name of the retailer's U.S. chain is now known (though not confirmed) and many locations have been identified.

Bruce Peterson, 53, has confirmed that he has resigned his position at Wal- Mart and will "pursue other aspects of my career most likely related to the produce industry."

Mr. Peterson, who has been with Wal-Mart for 15 years, told The Produce News Friday, Feb. 2, that he has been considering his future in recent years but the decision to leave Wal-Mart was rather sudden. "But it was my choice," he added.

Debra Tengs, who served as transportation manager and administrative assistant for Snake River Produce in Nyssa, OR, died Dec. 28 after losing her year-long battle with lung cancer. She was 53.

Ms. Tengs was born April 3, 1953, in Tucumcari, NM. She moved to California while in her teens and began working in the produce industry after college. She eventually settled in Nyssa to raise her family.