WASHINGTON -- When Congress rewrites food-safety legislation, it must not forget to revamp how the government responds to foodborne outbreaks, United Fresh Produce Association President and Chief Executive Officer Tom Stenzel said March 11 during a congressional hearing.

In the first congressional hearing on the topic, the three-hour hearing featured a panel of five experts, who answered questions about how to fix the nation's food-safety laws.

Driscoll's Strawberry Associates in Watsonville, CA, has announced that long time sales manager, Tim Youmans, has been promoted to vice president of sales for the company.

Mr. Youmans, who has been with Driscoll's since 1999, will head sales for the retail, foodservice, export and wholesale channels, and will head the company's category management team. Mr. Youmans will report to Michael Hollister, senior vice president of sales and marketing.

Bobby Stokes has joined Sunflower Market in Phoenix, AZ, as a full-line buyer for the supermarket chain. He had previously worked as the director of procurement for the retailer.

"I happily rejoined the company as a full-line buyer because of the amazing expansion we are experiencing - and growth, despite the economy," he said. "We work as a team - [there are] three full-line buyers - so we all have input and work with all vendors, carriers, etc."

San Leandro, CA-based Bay Cities Produce Co. Inc. has built a strong reputation during its more than 60 years in business, with most of that time spent as a tenant on the Oakland Produce Market.

The firm carries a full line of fresh, frozen and prepared fruits and vegetables, and it services restaurants and institutions. Foodservice makes up about 60 percent of Bay Cities Produce's business; processing - including custom- processed products - makes up the remaining 40 percent, said Albert Del Masso, the company's founder and president.

California fresh-market carrot production has held relatively steady for the past several years. The production total came in at 20.29 million hundredweight in 2008, a slightly higher tally than 2007.

In 2006, the tally was 20.89 million hundredweight and in 2005, the tally was 20.6 million hundredweight. Production came in at slightly over 20 million hundredweight in both 2003 and 2004.

BOGOTA, COLOMBIA -- On one fresh herb farm, visitors must don sterile surgical scrubs before entering a super-high-tech greenhouse. Inside, harvesters in blue scrubs and armed with sterilized scissors are suspended over the crop, hovering face down above broad rows, comfortably reaching a few inches to clip basil.