Argentina lemons by fall

That's what one source associated with Argentina lemon exporters said today about the timing of a final rule relating to the U.S. importation of Argentine lemons.

The pest risk assessment for Argentina lemons has been published and a proposed rule is antipated from the USDA by the spring, he said - perhaps April. With a projected 60 day comment period, the source said it is not beyond the pale to think a final rule could be published this fall.

Given the fact that U.S. citrus sources will want to examine the science behind the rule with a fine tooth comb, the projections may be on the optimistic side. Still, with Florida's citrus being treated in a particular manner by the USDA relative to citrus canker, it is reasonable to expect the USDA will extend the same parameters to Argentina.

Last October, the USDA said this about the pest risk assessment:

APHIS developed a draft pest risk assessment to evaluate the risks associated with the importation of lemons from Argentina into the continental United States. The assessment also includes information and analyses provided by the plant protection organization of Argentina.

Based on the draft pest risk assessment, lemons from Argentina would not be eligible for APHIS’ new risk-based streamlined import approval process because the pest risk associated with this commodity cannot be sufficiently mitigated by one or more of the five phytosanitary measures designated under this approach. If warranted, any further action to approve the importation of lemons from Argentina would be through APHIS’ full rulemaking process. This process can include additional evaluation and peer review by scientific experts outside the agency prior to any proposed rulemaking.

A question for you

The latest Fresh Talk poll was decided today, and here are the results:

Should Burger King bow to demands of some farm labor advocates and pay a penny a pound more for tomatoes to boost workers' wages?

Yes: 44% (12)
No 55%(15)



TK: Not necessarily a convincing margin, and perhaps indicative of the broad spectrum of ideology variously embraced by Fresh Talk readers. See the results of all Fresh Talk polls at this link.

The new question, which will run through next Friday, is this:

Apart from any benefit to the environment, do you think research will show that organic fruits and vegetables are of higher nutritional value than conventional produce?

Chat at 11 a.m.

In mere minutes, I am going to have the first Google Talk chat session on Fresh Talk. These will become a regular feature of Fresh Talk, so be sure to sign up for Google Talk and you can participate in the future. Today I will visit with Pamela R of The Packer.....


TK: Pamela was good to be the first Fresh Talk chat interview. I hope to make the chat session a regular feature, with discussion group members, newsmakers and industry leaders taking part as they choose. Here is the link to the newly minted Fresh Talk chat archive,

tckarst: Good morning Pamela

me: Hello1

tckarst: I picked u as the first chat session because u are one of the most colorful people I know

me: Thanks. I never realized I'm so colorful until people started telling me.

tckarst: Where did you grow up

me: I grew up in a small town of about 81 people called Brumley, Mo. Fortunately, we were close to the resort areas near the Lake of the Ozarks, so it wasn't that bad.

tckarst: Very nice. Water ski fiend, I presume?

me: I learned when I was about 7. I got up the first time I tried.

tckarst: I know you have background as a photographer - give us a thumbnail sketch of your education path...

me: I really got into photography in high school, with the newspaper and the year book -- it was all very predictable. My grandfather also had always been the "family photographer." When I showed an interest, he gave me his old Olympus OM-1. Having a "real camera" like that one really got me going.

tckarst: I loved the OM1 - I have one too

me: I actually have two now. One that works and one for parts. They're not known for their durability.

Anyway, I had a little bit of a colorful incident in high school journalism class -- I got kicked out! -- that made me want to study it at the collegiate level.

tckarst: How in the world??

me: Well, at the end of my junior year, the seniors were all ready to get out of there and one wrote a, shall we say, colorful? story about a teacher that was disguised as a story. I had it in my hands at the paste-up board when the teacher figured it out. She kicked me out right then and there.

So, I said to myself, fine. I'll go to the No. 1 Journalism school in the country and show her.

And I did.

tckarst: Funny - and so you did

For our readers sake, you r talking about K-State, right?

me: Uhh...no. University of Missouri, baby. We may have crooks for basketball players and a football team that chokes when the big one comes around, but at least our J-school still is pretty good.

tckarst: OK From there how did you and The Packer intersect?

Sent at 11:13 AM on Friday

me: Well, after a couple of years at community newspapers in Texas, my husband, Brian, and I decided to move to Kansas so he could go to law school and I could be near family. I worked for a year at K-State -- see? I have no prejudice. After my contract was up, I was looking and found The Packer. I guess I had what they wanted -- a photographer who knows how to write.

Sent at 11:15 AM on Friday

tckarst: Now you are back in Texas - what do you miss about the office working in the field? I know I miss your regular OBF food treats!

me: I definitely miss seeing everyone every day. As you know, I'm pretty talkative. Now it's just me and my dog and cat. I keep up with everyone with a stream of emails.

tckarst: And the industry has gotten to know the inside of your kitchen. How did Pamela's kitchen get started and are you still having fun with it?

Sent at 11:18 AM on Friday

me: I think our editor, Lance, might have gotten the idea because when I was in the office, I was always bringing in weird produce things and making everyone try them. Little did he know when he pitched the idea to me, I had actually written, filmed and edited silly videos way back in junior high so it's right up my alley.

Sent at 11:20 AM on Friday

tckarst: They are fun - including the sqeezy produce rating system - what''s the most memorable one so far and do you have any coming up?

me: I think the first one will be the most memorable for me simply because it happened almost exactly as I thought it would -- with products exploding in the microwave and all. I don't script anything so it's fun to see what really happens.

Well, today, I'm doing a salsa kit. You're supposed to just put it in the blender and go.

My blender is pretty powerful, though so I'm worried I might get salsa smoothie.

tckarst: A blender - that could be interesting...

me: I have two of the kits so I might do one in my food processor, too.

tckarst: Now tell us about your work with the produceguru, er fruit and veggie guru....

me: Well, Vance Publishing, our parent company, launched the fruitandveggie guru back in May. Today is our first day as fruitandveggieguru.com.

tckarst: Is it true ou have been the spokesperson about the romantic attributes of produce?

me: Actually, yes. The fruits and veggies of love.

Little did we know that the humble asparagus could be so...suggestive.

Sent at 11:25 AM on Friday

tckarst: But it is a testament to your ability to engage, and it will be fun to see you quoted in various stories - you will send me the clips, right?

me: Of course. I'm glad to get the opportunity because even when I first started with the Packer, I always thought that the regular Joe's out there would really benefit from knowing some of the stuff that we do, you know? It's not fair for us to have all the inside information.

I was always blabbing about how things are grown and the different varieties of apples or citrus.

tckarst: Maybe we'll see you on TV, too

me: We'll see about that. It hasn't happened yet, but it could. The hair! The makeup! Oh.. so many things to worry about.

Sent at 11:28 AM on Friday

tckarst: Pamela . thanks for making time. We'll have you back soon and get some of our blog readers to get their shot. When's your next travel for The Packer?

me: I head up to the frozen tundra of the Twin Cities in Minnesota for the Know Your Market section in April. Then I'll be in Calgary for CPMA.

tckarst: Keep warm - I can relate. I'm headed to Russa next week.

me: Yikes! Get one of those fuzzy hats!

tckarst: Will do. Thanks again.

me: Take care.

Green carts and green grocers

TK: Here is coverage from New York about the proposal to add "green carts" in some areas to increase fruit and vegetable availability. Strangely, the idea is not universally embraced.

From the story....

Mayor Bloomberg's "green cart" plan to get targeted New Yorkers to eat more fruits and vegetables got pushed around Thursday by skeptical City Council members.

Under a bill introduced in December at the mayor's request - with the backing of Council Speaker Christine Quinn - the city would issue 1,500 new permits for street pushcarts to sell just fruits and vegetables in "underserved communities."

The carts would be confined to specific areas - identified by police precincts - and would be monitored by health inspectors and the police. Violations could lead to the seizure of carts and fines.

If approved by the Council, the measure will call for phasing in 750 permits per year for two years, with 500 earmarked for the Bronx, 500 for Brooklyn, 250 for Queens, 200 for Manhattan and 50 for Staten Island.

While commending the health goal, participants in a hearing by the Consumer Affairs Committee questioned whether the green carts would hurt neighborhood supermarkets, bodegas and greengrocers.

The skeptics suggested other alternatives, such as allowing stores to set up their own fresh fruit and vegetable stands outside their premises, or providing tax incentives.

"It is going to cause harm," said Councilman Miguel Martinez (D-Manhattan).

Councilman John Liu (D-Queens) questioned whether "this green cart proposal actually makes sense."

"Maybe we should be licensing vendors to sell suits outside, and lingerie," scoffed Councilman Simcha Felder (D-Brooklyn).

And Councilman Charles Barron (D-Brooklyn) cited the warring interests of merchants and street peddlers.

"Welcome to the politics of food," he said.