ORLANDO, FL -- The 2008 Chilean Fresh Fruit Association North American importers meeting was held here Oct. 24. The meeting, held in conjunction with the Produce Marketing Association's Fresh Summit, included a look at the recent and coming Chilean fruit export season as well as the Chilean association's promotional plans for the 2008-09 marketing season.

Tom Tjerandsen, managing director of the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association USA in Sonoma, CA, described his group's 2009 North American marketing plans as having the four following objectives:

* Increase awareness.

ORLANDO, FL -- The 59th annual Produce Marketing Association's Fresh Summit, held Oct. 24-27 at the Orange County Convention Center, here, drew 17,502 attendees, more than 1,000 shy of the 18,630 record attendance set in San Diego in 2006 but some 1,600 more than last year's event in Houston.

"We couldn't be more pleased," said Lorna Christie, PMA's senior vice president of industry products and services. "We market to the economy."

ORLANDO, FL -- The garlic industry continues to work toward a unified message in its efforts to compete against Chinese garlic. On Saturday, Oct. 25, garlic industry representatives from the United States and Mexico gathered here for its annual breakfast at the Produce Marketing Association's Fresh Summit.

The overriding message primarily was one of convincing customers of the attributes of garlic grown in California as well as in other countries other than China. It is not a new message but one that the breakfast participants said bears repeating with customers.

Jeff Twyman, founder, president and chief executive officer of GreenLine Foods in Bowling Green, OH, has announced that he will retire at the end of this year.

Mr. Twyman will continue in the role of chairman of the board but will be handing off daily management responsibilities to Jeffrey D. Rettig, who has been named president of the company. Mr. Rettig has been with the company for approximately eight years and most recently served as executive vice president and chief operating officer.

WASHINGTON -- The Food & Drug Administration will open its first China office in Beijing before the end of the year, and other FDA offices in India, Europe and Latin America will follow before next year, according to Health & Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt.

"We're making steady progress to better safeguard our supply of food and medicines," Mr. Leavitt said in an Oct. 16 press release. "In the past year, we've upgraded labs and equipment, hired additional staff and begun implementing product-safety agreements with key trading partners, including China."

The Fresh Produce Association of the Americas is hosting a seminar titled "Importing, Food Safety & Food Security: What to Expect for 2009 and Beyond" to help the importing community have direct interaction with the Food & Drug Administration, U.S. Customs & Border Protection and the U.S. Department of Agriculture -- three government agencies that play significant roles in overseeing the importation of fresh fruits and vegetables.