Month: April 2013

In March, after months of negotiations, it appeared Tony DiMare and other proponents of the Florida tomato industry won. They contended to the U.S. Department of Commerce that Mexican tomatoes were being dumped on the U.S. market at prices so ridiculously low, American growers couldn't compete. After tense discussions, with talk of the tomato war's ripple effect possibly damaging U.S. exports to Mexico, an agreement was reached. It's not enough, DiMare said. …

Listen! Do you hear it? That soft “ahhhhhhhh” in the background? That’s the collective All-American sigh of welcome for spring and summer 2013. Oh, and that thoughtful “hmmmmmmm” accompanied by a determined scraping sound? Why, that’s all of us considering new backyard cook-out recipes while we ready the grill for a very busy season. To save time and give you an edge in creativity, scores of potato dish ideas and links to even more sites can be found at the Colorado Potato Administrative Committee’s web site, coloradopotato.org. …

In a February letter to the Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association Food Safety Director Beth Oleson, the FDA announced its intent to "initiate inspections with a sampling component at the subset of the cantaloupe packing houses" across the United States during the 2013 growing season. FDA sent the same letter to similar produce organizations, including the newly formed Eastern Cantaloupe Growers Association. …