LA MALBAIE, QC - According to the Chinese zodiac, 2008 is the year of the rat, but in the Quebec produce industry, 2008 is unmistakably the year of the woman.

The Quebec Produce Marketing Association held its 61st annual convention here at Le Manoir Richelieu overlooking the St. Lawrence River about two hours northeast of Quebec City and paid tribute to women working in the produce trade at its industry brunch and closing banquet Aug. 16.

Apple demand in the United States is higher than it has been in decades, and prices are expected to be higher than ever due to short supplies.

Several factors contributed to the state of this year's apple market. The 2007- 08 apple crop ran short, limiting its usual year-round supplies. Then, just as producers were weeks away from initial harvests for the coming year's crop, multiple hailstorms pummeled the Northeast, and extensive damage in some areas reduced projected volumes. Also, import supplies are down because of the weakened dollar.

NEWARK, DE -- Whose packaging has that special punch? Produce Marketing Association is looking for examples of innovative packaging solutions to be considered for the association's annual coveted Impact Award: Excellence in Packaging.

Salinas, CA-based Fresh Express Inc. will hold a one-day conference Thursday, Sept. 11, in nearby Monterey, CA. The purpose of the conference is to share findings of nine E. coli 0157:H7 research projects that focus on contamination of leafy greens.

Fresh Express funded the projects, all launched and completed in a 12- month time frame that wrapped up a few months ago.

As of 1 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 19, Fay was categorized a tropical storm by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service, but despite that, hurricane warnings were posted in most south Florida counties before the storm came ashore late Monday. The postings were removed Tuesday morning when it failed to reach the 74 mph threshold that would have pushed it to hurricane status.

Tanimura Distributing Inc. in Irwindale, CA, has filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Central District of California, citing assets in the neighborhood of $4.8 million and liabilities of around $10.6 million, according to Chuck Curl, director of ratings for rating analysts at The Produce Reporter Co., publisher of The Blue Book.

The filing (case number 08-BK-22644-TD) took place Aug. 12.