Will the name game of branding change the face of the produce department? Probably not anytime soon, and maybe never, according to industry sources questioned by SN about the influence of brands on what is currently -- and some retailers would add defiantly -- one of the most unbranded parts of the supermarket.

SALT LAKE CITY -- After signing an agreement with the United Farm Workers, American Stores Co. here has become one of the largest supermarket operators to declare support for the right of strawberry workers to determine for themselves whether or not they want to unionize.

ATLANTA -- Reports of several incidents of cyclospora infection linked to raspberries, which surfaced several weeks ago, are having negative effects on summer berry sales in some markets, retailers told SN. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention here said there were at least 90 cases of laboratory-confirmed cyclospora in the United States in late April and May, which it said were believed to have been contracted from raspberries imported from Guatemala and possibly Chile.

Supermarket retailers have been putting their mettle to the petal, redesigning their floral departments with the hope of seeing sales blossom -- and they don't want fixtures to hold them back anymore. The latest turn they're taking is toward mobility in display equipment. Retail floral directors and other industry sources told SN that in today's market, an efficient floral department is a flexible one, with fixtures that are not so fixed, but rather portable and adaptable. "Where we're trying

It was evident during the rumored outbreak of the cyclospora bacteria in strawberries and raspberries. It was there this past spring when several cases of the E. Coli disease were linked to red leaf lettuce. And it surfaced recently in Japan when health officials there reported a radish crop infected with the E. Coli bacteria. The threat of a pathogenic bacteria taking down produce by the caseload is omnipresent, and likely to remain so...

Officials at the Produce for Better Health Foundation are gearing up for what they believe will be a record-breaking National 5 a Day week, due in large part to its newest ad campaign featuring "Produce Man." Developed by a Los Angeles ad agency, the campaign has drawn more than $3 million worth of television time since its inception almost seven months ago. Produce Man is an animated character whose body consists of various fruits and vegetables...