FRESH CUT NEWS FEED ARCHIVES

May 2008

Australian Scientists Develop Apple That Doesn't go Brown
Australian scientists have come up with an apple that does not go brown when cut. Unlike most apples, which go brown almost immediately, the fruit stays a pale pink colour for several hours after it is exposed to air. Yahoo! News (5/1)

April 2008

Wendy’s to Sell Itself to Peltz’s Triarc
Wendy’s International said Thursday it agreed to sell itself to Triarc Companies, the franchisor of the Arby’s restaurant chain, in a stock swap valued at about $2.3 billion. New York Times (4/24)

Institute Starts Center for Public Health, Food Safety
Researchers at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology will soon be working with fellow scientists from around the country and the world in developing technologies and products to improve public health and food safety. Huntsville Times (4/20)

The Follow-up File: Leafy Greens Slowly Making a Comeback
When The Tribune spoke with Richard Quandt a year ago, the president of the Grower-Shipper Vegetable Exchange was working with local farmers to regain the public’s trust of leafy green vegetables. Sanluisobispo.com (4/13)

USDA Scientists Say Irradiation Could Be Key to Food Safety
Before bagged leafy greens wind up on your plate, they are washed, often three times, in a potent chlorine bath. But new research shows the steps that California companies rely on to protect consumers do not kill dangerous bacteria inside the leaves, whereas zapping them with radiation wipes them out. LA Times (4/11)

Irradiation Almost Erases Risk of Food Poisoning
Washing fresh fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk of food poisoning, but only irradiation kills almost all disease-causing bacteria, new research shows. U.S. News and World Report (4/10)

Federal Food Safety Bill Tabled (Canada)
A federal bill to boost the fines for food safety violations and strengthen federal powers to order product recalls has arrived at the House of Commons. Winnipeg Country Guide (4/8)

Ag Industry Hit by Fuel Prices
The price of gas is starting to take a toll on the Monterey County agriculture industry, but local tourism may be immune to the bad economic times. Monterey Herald (4/7)

Taylor Fresh Foods Voluntarily Recalls Some Fresh Cut Fruit Products
Taylor Fresh Foods of Salinas is voluntarily recalling selected fresh cut fruit products which may contain cantaloupe from the Honduran grower Agropecuaria Montelibano identified by FDA to have the potential to be contaminated with salmonella. Salinas Californian (4/6)

Arizona Considers a Guest Worker Program of its Own
The state already at the cutting edge of immigration reform seems poised to undertake yet another experiment: a guest worker program created and administered by a state rather than by the federal government. The Christian Science Monitor (4/1)

March 2008

Recall Linked to Salmonella Expanded
A cantaloupe recall was expanded on Monday due to possible salmonella contamination. Denver 9 News (3/31)

Panel Sees Ag-Labor Solution
America's agricultural-worker shortage can be resolved, but the solution will require time, the right legislation and a whole lot of support. Salinas Californian (3/27)

Charlie's Produce Recalls Cut Melons Following FDA Alert
Charlie's Produce of Spokane, Wash., recalled its branded cut melon products because they have the potential to be contaminated with salmonella, according to the company. (3/22)

Leafy Veggie Contamination Rate Rising
If you've gotten the feeling that there are more contaminated leafy green vegetables out there than there used to be, new numbers from federal researchers suggest you're right. CBS News (3/21)

Food Safety System Near "Breaking Point": FDA
The system U.S. consumers depend on to ensure the safety of their food supply is not broken, but multiple food borne outbreaks at the same time could push it to its "breaking point," an official with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday. Reuters (3/20)

Ag Faces Diverse Issues
It was designed to showcase the county's agricultural industry. But what Tuesday's "Celebrate" breakfast at the Monterey Fairgrounds did best was to showcase the diversity of challenges facing Monterey County's largest industry. Monterey Herald (3/19)

Salad Fad Can't Explain Spinach, Lettuce Scares
An increase in the number of foodborne illnesses caused by contaminated spinach or lettuce over the past 35 years cannot be explained by increases in salad consumption over the same period, U.S. government researchers said on Monday. Reuters (3/19)

Foodborne Illnesses From Leafy Greens Rising
An increase in the number of foodborne illnesses caused by contaminated spinach or lettuce over the past 35 years cannot be explained by increases in salad consumption over the same period, U.S. government researchers said on Monday. msnbc (3/18)

ServSafe Training Program Offers Assurance to Food Service Industry
Americans eat an average of 30 percent of their meals outside their homes, relying on food service workers to provide them with safe food. North Platte Telegraph (3/18)

Nearly Half of Federal Inspections of Spinach Facilities Found Sanitary Problems
Half of all federal inspections of spinach-packing facilities in the past six years revealed “objectionable conditions,” but officials with the Food and Drug Administration did little to correct the problems, congressional investigators have found. Salinas Californian (3/17)

Richland County Inspectors Work to Ensure Food Safety
When it comes to food, whether it's a bag of chips from the gas station or filet mignon at a white-tablecloth restaurant, somebody's got your back. Mansfield News Journal (3/16)

Lawmakers Deliver Taste Test on Irradiated Spinach
Two Congressman are giving "thumbs up" to irradiated spinach from Iowa. KTPM Fox News Omaha (3/13)

Michigan May Be First State to Issue Food Stamps Twice a Month
Michigan could become the first state in the nation to issue food stamps twice a month, making fresh produce and meat more available and giving grocery workers steadier hours. Detroit News (3/9)

Research Station Develops New Ag Ideas
People who grow up in the Finger Lakes munching on apples often have an inkling that Geneva and Cornell University had something to do with the local bounty. Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (3/5)

Growth of Spartan Stores Gets Wall Street's Notice
Craig Sturken celebrated his fifth anniversary as the head of Spartan Stores Inc. on Monday by ringing the open bell of Nasdaq stock exchange in New York. Grand Rapids Press (3/4)

Wal-Mart Tastemakers Write Unfiltered Blog
Microsoft is one of Wal-Mart’s biggest suppliers. But that did not stop the Wal-Mart employee in charge of buying computers from panning Microsoft’s newest operating system, Vista. New York Times (3/3)

February 2008

Evidence Of 'Rain-making' Bacteria Discovered In Atmosphere And Snow
Brent Christner, LSU professor of biological sciences, in partnership with colleagues in Montana and France, recently found evidence that rain-making bacteria are widely distributed in the atmosphere. These biological particles could factor heavily into the precipitation cycle, affecting climate, agricultural productivity and even global warming. Science Daily (2/29)

Florez: State's Watching Ag
If the leafy greens industry falls short in ensuring food safety, the state government will step in to protect consumers, state Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, said Wednesday in Salinas. Salinas Californian (2/28)

Report: Few Fail Greens Audit
Less than 1 percent of growers participating in the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement were cited for gross violations during the food-safety program's first six months, according to an audit released Tuesday. Salinas Californian (2/27)

FDA Chief is in Budget Bind
Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach is under fire from an array of critics who say his agency isn't up to the job of regulating more than a fifth of the consumer goods sold in America. Wall Street Journal (2/27)

Fresh Del Monte Reports Record Profits
Fruit and vegetable producer Fresh Del Monte Produce reported a profit of $34.4 million, or 56 cents per share, compared with a loss of $58.8 million, or $1.02 per share in the fourth quarter of 2006. Miami Herald (2/26)

T&A to End Processor Sales
Spreckels-based grower-shipper Tanimura & Antle plans to stop selling lettuce to salad processors in May, company officials said Friday. Salinas Californian (2/26)

Enroll Now in Ag Seminar
Those who want to get a better insight into agriculture - the $3.3 billion business that drives Monterey County's economy - can now apply to the AgKnowledge Executive Seminar Program. Salinas Californian (2/26)

After Spinach Scare, FDA Calls for Hand Washing
The Food and Drug Administration has published guidelines that suggest employees of fresh-cut fruit and vegetable processors wash their hands to help stop the spread of contamination. Boston Globe (2/23)

2006 E. Coli Outbreak Linked to Local Farm
Food safety officials have linked a Kern County farm to tainted iceberg lettuce that sickened 81 people in Iowa and Minnesota in late 2006. Bakersfield Californian (2/22)

Business to Face Higher Fines for Hiring Illegal Immigrants
The government said Friday that it will soon increase fines against employers who hire illegal immigrants by 25 percent, the first increase in almost a decade. Kansas City Star (2/22)

Model Chips
Every few minutes, Ralph Robinson puts another potato in the end of a small metal chute that's connected to a stainless-steel tank. Columbus Alive (2/22)

Chiquita Brands Says 4th Quarter Loss Smaller than Last Year
Chiquita Brands International Inc. on Tuesday reported a fourth-quarter loss smaller than a year ago helped by higher banana pricing and continuing recovery in retail salads. International Herald Tribune (2/21)

Ag Safety Conference Expands
Organizers of next week's Annual AgSafe Conference in Monterey are predicting one of the largest crowds in event history. The Salinas Californian (2/19)

Start-Up Says Nanotechnology will Keep Food from Spoiling
GuardIN Fresh, one of several start-up companies getting its footing at the Arkansas Research and Technology Park in Fayetteville, is courting investors to pay for third-party safety tests demanded by buyers. Arkansas Democrat Gazette (2/18)

Pride Pak Has It in the Bag
Got salad? All you have to do is buy the salad-in-a-bag from the produce aisle at your grocery store, bring it home, open the bag, put it in a bowl with some dressing and you're done. Toronto Star (2/18)

Ag Forum Attracts Opposites
The comeback bid by the leafy greens industry from an E. coli outbreak in 2006 will be analyzed in two very different ways during the opening session of the 2008 Ag Forum at The National Steinbeck Center in Salinas. Salinas Californian (2/18)

Bipartisan Farm-Bill Plan Offers an End to Stalemate
With the Bush administration's blessing, key lawmakers are pushing a plan that could break a logjam that has threatened an overhaul of federal farm programs. The Wall Street Journal(2/15)

E. Coli Lawyer in Seattle Makes Good Money from Bad Food
A girl fell into a 40-day coma after eating a bad Jack in the Box hamburger. Fifteen years later, she is still suffering ill effects. That doesn't bode well for a toddler who spent six weeks in the hospital in 2006 after eating E. coli-tainted spinach from California. San Jose Mercury News (2/10)

Import Alarm Keeps Sounding on Food Safety
One Sunday after church, Rich Miller headed to a local Chi-Chi's restaurant in Beaver, Pa., where he dipped into the house salsa that came with the meal. USA Today (2/9)

UC Davis Food Safety Expert George York Dies
George K. York II, one of California's pioneering food safety experts and a longtime professor at UC Davis, has died after a brief illness. San Francisco Chronicle (2/8)

January 2008

It's Family Affair at D'Arrigo
The family of Jesus Vasquez Jr., assistant production superintendent for D'Arrigo Bros., has a long association with the Salinas agricultural company. Salinas Californian (1/21)

Leafy-Greens Producers Intensify Efforts to Keep Crops Germ-Free
Around the lettuce and spinach fields in Yuma, growers are chopping down trees, bulldozing abandoned houses and even digging out cactuses. Detroit Free Press (1/16)

U.S. Food Safety: Foodborne Illnesses a Menu for Disaster
Foodborne illness can strike at any time and be caused by any number of different pathogens. U.S. News & World Report (1/15)

Spartan Stores Get A for Food Safety
Family Fare and D&W Fresh Market supermarkets will have new safeguards for all fresh food processed in stores including produce, meat, deli and baked goods. Grand Rapids Press (1/15)

Fresh Del Monte Finance Chief to Retire
Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. (FDP) said its Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, John Inserra, will retire after a distinguished career of nearly 32 years with the company. RTT News (1/14)

Organic Event Theme is Safety
California Certified Organic Farmers - known as CCOF - will hold a conference on food safety to discuss the challenges to organic farmers and food handlers that have sprouted since an E. coli outbreak in 2006. Salinas Californian (1/14)

School Food Safety Video Being Shot at University of Mississippi
"We're going to have to shoot that scene again," said Theresa Stretch, food and nutrition specialist for the National Food Service Management Institute at the University of Mississippi. Clarion Ledger (1/12)

Farmers Ratchet Up Efforts to Keep Crops Clean
Around the lettuce and spinach fields in Yuma, growers are chopping down trees, bulldozing abandoned houses and even digging out cactuses. Arizona Republic (1/11)

Be Wary of Biotech Lettuce Experiments
The biotechnology industry has long hoped to use plants, including common food crops, to produce high-profit new drugs .... Salinas farmers should be leery of lettuce pharming. The Salinas Californian (1/8)

Farmers Scramble to Save Crops
Ann Holt calls it "our first little surprise of the winter." Put that way, the arctic-style weather that was heading Wednesday night for South Florida's vegetable farms, fruit groves and nurseries doesn't sound too threatening. Palm Beach Post (1/4)

Cold, Flurries in Florida, Growers Worry
Florida's citrus growers reported only minor damage early Thursday from a blast of cold air, even as snow flurries fell in at least one part of the Sunshine State. Citrus crops were not the only ones at risk in Florida. (1/3)

FDA Looks to NC in Developing Plan to Protect Food
North Carolina food safety officials check store shelves each week to test for contaminated foods, and emergency plans are drafted in case of a widespread contaminated food supply. Greensboro News Record (1/1)

December 2007

U of R Researchers Compile Food Safety Rankings
A new publication will be able to tell you just how safe your food is. Saskatoon Star Phoenix (12/19)

FDA to Get Only Slight Increase in Food-Safety Funding
The Food and Drug Administration is scheduled to receive a modest increase in food-safety funding next year despite calls from many corners that it needs far more to keep up with soaring imports and heightened food-safety concerns. USA Today (12/18)

Central Valley Food Safety Center Moves Closer to Funding
The federal government’s fiscal year 2008 Omnibus Appropriations bill includes $2.85 million for California agriculture safety and inspection programs, including nearly $1.5 million to establish a Western Region Food and Drug Administration Center of Excellence for Food Safety at the University of California, Davis. Central Valley Business Times (12/18)

Kodiak Establishments Require On-Site Food Safety Manager
Beginning Dec. 28, every food establishment in Kodiak that prepares and serves unwrapped food must have on-site a certified food protection safety manager. Kodiak (AK) Daily Mirror (12/18)

UC Davis to House New Food Safety Center
UC Davis will host the nation's newest food safety center, thanks to the sprawling spending bill set for final congressional approval this week. Sacramento Bee (12/17)

How Safe Is Your Salad?
New industry rules for leafy greens aim to protect consumers from E. coli. Farmers and conservationists question the science behind the standards. San Francisco Chronicle (12/16)

Settlements Reached in Spinach Sickness Lawsuits
Six lawsuits stemming from the September 2006 E. coli outbreak linked to Central Coast spinach were settled with Dole, Natural Selection Foods and Mission Organics on Thursday in Salt Lake City, according to Seattle-based attorney Bill Marler. Salinas Californian (12/14)

Coastal Sunbelt Produce/East Coast Fresh Cuts and L&M Produce Join Forces to Become Industry Leader in the Mid-Atlantic
Coastal Sunbelt Produce and L&M Produce announce today that they are joining forces to become the preeminent foodservice distributor of fresh produce in the Mid-Atlantic. CNN Money (12/13)

Is It Healthy? Food Rating Systems Battle It Out
At the grocery store, shoppers confront a dizzying array of labels promoting whole grains, reduced fat, antioxidants or vitamins. Some foods are said to be “Smart Choices,” while others are a “Sensible Solution.” New York Times (12/1)