Canadian officials eased import requirements for Mexican cantaloupes in another sign that governments are embracing Mexico's certification program.

Mexican cantaloupes were linked to illnesses in Canada during 2001 and 2002, which prompted the U.S. and Canadian governments to ban cantaloupes from the lucrative markets. In response to both import alerts, the Mexican government developed a Cantaloupe Certification Program based on Good Agricultural Practices and Good Manufacturing Practices.

Three produce suppliers began shipping radio frequency identification-tagged cases to Publix supermarkets in a pilot program that will test the web-based tracking system and involve nearly 300 stores across Florida.

"We're excited by the results so far," said Maria Brous, media and community relations director for Publix Super Markets Inc. We started reading RFID shipments in late January.

In four to six months the St. Louis Produce Market will have closed deals to expand by about 25 acres.

Clarence Hughes, St. Louis market manager, said Feb. 8 that the market will purchase eight to 10 acres adjacent to the north side of the market, and will lease another 15 acres adjacent to the east side of the facility.

A year after the U.S. Department of Justice cleared the actions of the Eastern Mushroom Marketing Council in Wayne, PA, the group was hit by a new series of class-action suits.

The suits were filed in mid-February in the U.S. District Court Eastern District, Pennsylvania, according to Jack Crooks, chief executive officer of the council. The suits claim that actions taken by the defendants artificially raised mushroom prices in 2001.

After several years spent refining production, Brooks Tropicals now has steady volumes of Caribbean Sunrise papayas this year, and the company is optimistic that it will be able to capitalize on the rise in consumption of the fruit in the U.S. marketplace.

Mary Ostlund, director of marketing for the Homestead, FL-based firm, said that Caribbean Sunrise is a Solo papaya variety with many qualities that make it attractive to U.S. consumers. Chief among them are the manageable size and the flavor of the fruit.