WASHINGTON — In the early-morning hours of Feb. 19, the House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution without an amendment that would have zeroed out funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Market Access Program.

The House approved the temporary funding bill (H.R. 1) by a 235-189 vote, with all Democrats and three Republicans voting against the bill. The resolution expires March 4, leaving the Senate little time to craft its own bill, which may result in another resolution or a government shutdown.

WASHINGTON - It's the news the produce industry has been waiting to hear for years: Tomatoes were never the source of the Salmonella outbreak in 2008 but were mixed in with the Jalapeño and Serrano peppers, the items that ended up causing the outbreak.

Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention have authored a long-awaited analysis of the 2008 Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak that is slated to appear in the March 10 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

In conjunction with the Florida Department of Citrus, Duda Farm Fresh Foods announced a promotion that will feature a coupon on its bags of Florida citrus for a free Florida citrus cookbook.

"This is a great opportunity to bring additional value to the consumer," Mark Bassetti, senior vice president of Duda Farm Fresh Foods, said in a Feb. 22 press release. "Offering a free Florida citrus cookbook is a convenient way for consumers to explore the variety of options our citrus products provide."

As rescue personnel in the southern New Zealand city of Christchurch worked frantically to find and care for victims of a massive 6.3 earthquake that struck Tuesday, Feb. 22, word was received by The Oppenheimer Group that its associates were unharmed.

EDINBURG,TX-- FronteraProduce Ltd., a vertically integrated grower, packer and shipper of fresh producein south Texas, announced Feb. 22 its recent partnership with Arizona melon grower Santa Rosa Produce and the opening of its new greater Cincinnati area sales office.

With an eye toward the environment, Christopher Ranch has made the transition from its hard plastic-style containers to resealable, recyclable bags.

The bags are manufactured to use 80 percent less material than the old style jars at an estimated savings of more than a half-million pounds of plastic. Additionally, the company said that it expects to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emissions released during transportation by 100,000 pounds.