From staff and wire reports

LanVision reports first-quarter loss

Blue Ash-based electronic medical records firm LanVision Systems Inc. reported a first-quarter net loss Wednesday of $675,792, which compares with a $98,000 profit in the same period last year.

The loss equaled 7 cents a share, compared with earnings of 1 cent a share during last year's first quarter.

LanVision said its total revenues were $2.6 million for the quarter, a 13.6 percent drop from last year, when they were almost $3.1 million.

Chiquita wraps up Seneca deal

Chiquita Brands International Inc. has completed the previously announced sale of its vegetable canning unit to Seneca Food Corp. for more than $126 million in cash and stock.

Marion, N.Y.-based Seneca also will assume about $88 million in debt from the Chiquita Processed Foods division.

The sale is part of Chiquita's plan to consolidate around its core banana operations and to cut costs.

Some Big Bear vendors cautious

Some products soon might become scarce at the 67 Big Bear and Big Bear Plus supermarkets in Ohio and West Virginia.

Vendors have stopped shipping to the stores until Big Bear's parent company, Penn Traffic, decides whether to file for bankruptcy protection.

"Our major suppliers have stopped shipments," Penn Traffic spokesman Marc Jampole said this week.

But Jampole said the stores and distribution centers still have plenty of products.

Columbus-area stores, however, already were having trouble keeping some brands of bread and snacks on the shelves.