WASHINGTON — U.S. Food & Drug Administration investigators say they have found Listeria on cantaloupe grown by Jensen Farms and sold in a Denver-area store and on samples taken from the farm’s packing
equipment.

Tests confirmed that the Listeria monocytogenes found in the samples match one of the three different strains of Listeria monocytogenes associated with the multi-state outbreak of listeriosis, the FDA announced Sept. 19.

Seald Sweet International, based in Vero Beach, FL, announced a major expansion of its West Coast operations through a partnership with Fresh Select, a new state-of-the-art packing and cold storage facility located in Dinuba, CA.

The agreement substantially increases Seald Sweet West’s overall volume and production capacity of domestic and imported fresh produce. Seald Sweet West’s sales offices will also relocate to the new facility, enabling the sales and production teams to operate within the same location.

The specialty produce category is nearly impossible to define. Its interpretation is based on a product’s uniqueness, difficulty in procuring, newness to the market, short growing season, limited growing region and other factors. The category includes the odd, peculiar or particularly interesting in shape, size, color or texture. One commonality is that specialty produce is typically more expensive than conventional products.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, returns to the Washington Public Policy Conference 10 years after his landmark suggestion to provide schoolchildren a free fruit or vegetable snack each day to promote better health. The author of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program in the 2002 Farm Bill, Senator Harkin will speak on the importance of continued involvement and vigilance on child nutrition matters on Tuesday, Oct.