TAMPA, FL -- The Southeast Produce Council attracted a record attendance to its fourth annual retail and foodservice conference and expo, held here Feb. 22-24, as participants enjoyed the golf tournament, field tours, workshops, trade show and receptions that comprised the event.

Add the perfect Florida weather during all three days of what the council calls Southern Exposure 2007, and it is not surprising that SPC executives, exhibitors and attendees all gave it high marks.

Two laboratories have confirmed that mushrooms recalled by BJ's Wholesale Club Inc. were not contaminated with E. coli, the retailer said Feb. 23.

On Feb 20, BJ's recalled mushrooms packaged under the "Wellsley Farms" brand that were purchased between Feb. 11 and Feb. 19. The retailer took the precautionary measure when preliminary test results showed the possible presence of trace amounts of E. coli from one lot code of the sliced mushrooms, said the warehouse retailer.

The assets of McCartney Produce Co. Inc. in Paris, TN, were acquired by an affiliated company of Indianapolis Fruit Co. Inc. and Piazza Produce Inc.

McCartney, originally a family business founded in 1947, distributes fresh produce and related items to both the retail and foodservice sectors in several states. The company will continue to operate in Paris under the McCartney Produce name. Jerry Bowden will continue as chief operating officer, and the management team and all other employees will remain in place.

Two British Columbia companies have joined forces to make top-quality greenhouse organics a North American mainstay.

Through an exclusive marketing agreement, the Vancouver-based Oppenheimer Group recently solidified a long-term partnership with Origin Organic Farms of Delta, a top organic greenhouse vegetable grower in North America. The agreement centers on efficiently supplying the market with a broad range of "OriginO" branded produce into the next decade.

Washington and Oregon have been officially added to the list of states showing evidence of Colony Collapse Disorder, a mysterious and unexplained ailment which is killing honeybee populations in the United States.

On Feb. 28, only hours after Washington was added to the list, Jerry Tate, Washington State Beekeeper Association's director, told The Produce News that three Washington beekeepers took substantial losses. While a loss of 20 percent is considered average for beekeepers, Mr. Tate said that two of the three beekeepers lost approximately 50 percent of their honeybees.

Deardorff Family Farms in Oxnard, CA, announced that it is shipping celery in the first-of-its-kind recyclable box. The box along with company's slogan, "Sustainable Farming for a Healthier Life," signifies its efforts to achieve sustainability.