WASHINGTON -- Federal food-safety regulators will hold a two-day meeting next month to hear from the food industry and other experts on ways to build a whole-chain traceability system for all foods, not just fresh produce.

The Food & Drug Administration and the Food Safety & Inspection Service are joining forces to hold the Dec. 9-10 meeting, here, because the agencies said they need to increase the speed and accuracy of traceback and traceforward operations.

Julian Lipschitz, whose 41 years in the produce industry included 11 years on the sales desk for Fruit Patch Sales LLC in Reedley, CA, is "truly a legend," said Tim Dayka, a partner in Dayka & Hackett LLC in Reedley, CA, where Mr. Lipschitz worked for one year prior announcing his retirement in June.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Just in time for the holiday season, Seald Sweet International in Vero Beach, FL, received its first loads of Spanish clementines in the United States.

Seald Sweet, a co-packer for Imagination Farms, has been shipping "Disney Garden" branded citrus since May 2007, but this marks its first shipments of Disney Garden Spanish clementines from grower Jorge-Garcia Ballester.

BRASELTON, GA -- The Southeast Produce Council celebrated its 10th anniversary the first weekend in November in part by recognizing many of the individuals who have helped make the council a success since it was founded in 1999.

Attendees also heard a presentation by consultant Ronnie De La Cruz, whose keynote address looked at how key events over the past 10 years have affected the council and the produce industry in general as well as some issues that may have an important impact over the next 10 years.

For Adam Wooten, operations manager at his family-owned business, Wayne E. Bailey Co., a major producer of sweet potatoes, a typical workday has him moving through numerous divisions at the company's Chadbourn, GA, facility.

"I confer with the receiving manager to make sure product coming into our facility goes into curing rooms according to specifications," said Mr. Wooten. "Then I review logistics to make sure it is on track. There are a lot of trucks arriving at the facility during harvesting."

Sweet potato volume in some key Southern production areas is off by as much as 75 percent as a peak demand period approaches.

Benny Graves, executive secretary and treasurer of the Mississippi Sweet Potato Council in Mississippi State, MS, said that the state's sweet potato crop is "very, very" short.

Overall, we have a 70-75 percent loss, said Mr. Graves. We wont have enough to cover Thanksgiving, and well likely be out of supplies completely before the end of the year.