Sweetbay Supermarket, the Florida-based supermarket company of Delhaize Group, recently announced the appointment of Paul Sabattus as vice president of marketing. He will be responsible for brand management and positioning, consumer outreach and strategic marketing initiatives.

Mr. Sabattus has more than 30 years of experience in all functions of retail sales and marketing in the supermarket industry.

Valentino Filice, a Gilroy, CA-native and farmer whose cooking skills helped established the Gilroy Garlic Festival as the pre-eminent garlic festival in the world, died Sunday, Nov. 4 after succumbing to pancreatic cancer. He was 80.

Mr. Filice had been recruited in 1978 by festival co-founders Don Christopher of Gilroy-based Christopher Ranch and the late Rudy Melone to organize the festival's primary food concession. Mr. Filice directed that concession -- called Gourmet Alley -- and had a hand in festival operations until his death.

Water Court Judge Roger Klein issued a decision Oct. 19 accepting a water augmentation plan submitted by the Central Colorado Water Conservancy District. More than a year ago, 215 of 400 wells located in the South Platte Basin from Commerce City to Fort Morgan were prohibited from pumping water to irrigate crops. The Central Colorado Water Conservancy District provided a plan which showed that these producers would return water to the river.

Hardly a day passes without a major network or newspaper reporting on the severe drought occurring in the southeastern United States. The Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services is concerned that viewers and readers -- those in the produce industry included -- might be getting the impression that Florida will not have crops to feed the nation.

WASHINGTON -- The Senate continued work on the 2007 farm bill with hopes for a fix to agricultural worker shortages dashed and the threat of a veto looming.

The Fresh Produce & Floral Council has welcomed back a former staffer to lead the organization upon the retirement of its long-time president at the end of the year.

Carissa Mace will return as president of the Southern California-based council starting Dec. 10. She will replace Linda Stine, who announced her retirement earlier this year after 13 years at the helm.

A search committee, headed by FPFC Chairman of the Board Raul Gallegos of Bristol Farms Supermarkets, conducted a six-month nationwide search before settling on this industry veteran.