BOSTON -- Pierre Dolbec, vice president of sales and marketing for HydroSerre Mirabel Inc., announced that he would be leaving the Mirabel, QC-based firm that has employed him since January 2003.

Mr. Dolbec, who has worked in the produce industry for nearly 30 years -- 20 of which were on the retail side of the trade -- told The Produce News here at the New England Produce Council's Produce & Floral Expo that his last day at the firm, which is known for its premium hydroponic lettuce that is grown using floating-raft technology, would be May 7.

Elliott Grant is looking forward to the United Fresh show.

Mr. Grant, founder and chief marketing officer of YottaMark, told The Produce News that the trade show will give the Redwood City, CA-based firm, renowned for its HarvestMark traceability offering, a chance to showcase its solutions for the Produce Traceability Initiative.

Andrea Astrachan of Ahold USA was elected chairman of the Produce for Better Health Foundation's board of trustees at its 2010 annual meeting April 8-10 in Half Moon Bay, CA. Ms. Astrachan most recently served as vice chairman of the foundation.

The board of trustees recognized the service of outgoing 2009 Chairman Paul Klutes of C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc. Mr. Klutes will remain on the executive committee as immediate past chairman.

In what could be considered a setback, officials from the United States and Mexico agreed to form a working group to address the issues surrounding the refusal of the United States to allow Mexican trucks to deliver product throughout the United States.

Under the provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement, the U.S.- Mexico border was supposed to have been opened to long-distance deliveries in 2000.

BOSTON -- The 2010 New England Produce Council's Produce & Floral Expo was truly an event of historic proportions.

The event, held here in the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center in a city steeped in history, celebrated its 10th anniversary with the largest show to date, said Laura Sullivan, the council's executive director.

WASHINGTON -- With landmark food-safety legislation likely to reach the Senate floor in the coming days, small growers and processors are pressuring lawmakers to exempt them from the traceability and fresh produce provisions.

The Senate was expected to vote on S. 510, the Food Safety Modernization Act, the week of April 19, and Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) said that he would like to send it to President Obama for approval next month. The House of Representatives passed a similar, but more prescriptive, bill last summer.