"We are in a control and suppress mode," Liz Compton, spokesperson for the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, said in response to the recent U.S. Department of Agriculture announcement that the canker eradication program is no longer effective, and that it will not continue to fund tree removal that is done with eradication as its goal.

Ms. Compton added, "We have spent the past several years working to get rid of canker in the state through this program, and it is very frustrating to now have to give it up."

Sunkist Growers announced that Jeff Gargiulo has decided not to renew his contract and will leave the company in June after five years as president and chief executive officer. This will conclude a second stint of an initial three-year contract.

Mr. Gargiulo assumed the leadership post at Sunkist when he joined the company in June 2001. During his tenure he spearheaded the reorganization of several of the Sunkist divisions while turning the focus of the organization toward leveraging the "Sunkist" brand.

Sometimes, the produce gene skips a generation.

James Watson, a sales representative with Healds Valley Farms in Edinburg, TX, grew up around agriculture and is descended from ranching and farming families. But in fact, neither parent is in the trade.

"They were the first city slickers of the bunch," joked the 23-year-old Mr. Watson, who was raised in Edinburg. His mother is a schoolteacher, and his father is an auctioneer.

As the ever-rising cost of fuel stands to affect the fresh produce industry now and in the future, some industry members aren't waiting for the future to find ways to deal with or compensate for the problem. They're doing it today.

Baldor Specialty Foods, a Bronx, NY-based distributor of specialty foods including fresh produce, is known for cutting edge business innovations. The company's customer base includes a wide range of high-end retailers and foodservice operators in the Northeast.

WASHINGTON -- While a popular consumer magazine is telling shoppers to be discriminating when it comes to spending money on organic products, it singled out certain organic fruits and vegetables as worth the money in order to avoid chemicals found in the conventional counterparts.

This prompted the Produce Marketing Association to challenge the report as misleading and to defend the safety of all fresh fruits and vegetables.

WASHINGTON -- Eighteen new produce industry members have been tapped to help advise the U.S. Department of Agriculture on policy issues that can affect how produce companies do business.

The 25-member committee attempts to mirror the industry by naming grower-shippers, wholesalers, retailers, trade association members, importers, produce processors, foodservice suppliers, fresh-cut processors, brokers and state departments of agriculture.