Reporting from Naples

Doug Ohlemeier here from Naples, Fla.

I'm covering the Joint Tomato Conference here, the 33rd yearly event sponsored by the Florida Tomato Exchange and the Florida Tomato Committee.

Food safety is the overriding issue tomato growers are dealing with at this conference.

The tomato growers and packers are discussing how to keep what happened to them earlier this summer from happening again or to anyone else in the produce industry.

The industry reconfigured its seminars this year for the conference to spend more time on food safety issues. During the traditional Tuesday afternoon packinghouse managers' seminar, food safety authorities went over the extensive audit form inspectors use when inspecting packing facilities.

A special food safety seminar tomorrow afternoon, Thursday, Sept. 4, will tackle how growers can handle on-farm audits.

While growers and packers heard a lot of negative news, the location of the yearly event allows for some exceptional R&R. The Naples Ritz-Carlton is located on the doorstep of the Gulf of Mexico, with the Gulf's sandy beaches just a few steps from the hotel's courtyard.

Thanks to Hurricane Gustav, the waves this year seem stronger and more powerful, almost as high as the waves that crash the shores of Florida's East Coast beaches.

Hopefully growers won't have to endure any more rough waves in their efforts to demonstrate the tomatoes they ship are safe of any contamination.