Lemons and limes continue to grow in per capita consumpution, according to USDA figures.
Between 2010 and 2018, per capita lemon availability grew 46%, from 2.8 pounds in 2010 to 4.1 pounds in 2018, the USDA reported.
For limes, the growth is slightly more impressive, rising from 2.6 pounds in 2010 to 3.9 pounds in 2018, an increase of 50%.
U.S. imports of both citrus varieties have been going up. For lemons, imports have grown from 93 million pounds in 2010 to 322 pounds in 2019, a gain of 246%. In the same time period, domestic lemon supply increased from 968 million pounds to 1.41 billion pounds, a gain of 46%.
The import share of the total U.S. lemon supply was 19% in 2019; in 2010, the import share of the total U.S. lemon supply was 9%.
For limes, the USDA does not record any domestic lime production as of 2019. U.S. imports of limes have increased from about 800 million pounds in 2010 to 1.36 billion pounds in 2019.
An estimated 460,000 metric tons (MT) of Hass avocados will be exported from Peru in the 2021 season, an increase of almost 30 percent over last season.
ProHass Peru reports this increase will represent an additional 100,000MT compared to the previous season.
New strategies have been launched this year, including opening markets while consolidating existing ones and working closely with SENASA to make sure only mature fruit is exported, ProHass reports.
The primary change will be incorporating small and medium producers to export their fruit.
“Avocado growers in the Sierra de Ayacucho, Cajamarca, Lima and Arequipa regions among others will be included, with fruit harvested and exported as early as January.
The Peruvian avocado export season is now expanded to nine months, from January to September.
Peru’s main export destinations are Europe and the U.S, with the former importing 270,000MT, and the latter with a projected volume around 100,000MT.
Asia follows with 78,000MT and then Chile with 42,000MT, a country that has increased its import of Peruvian fruit this year and is expected to have an increase for the season of around 70 percent over last year.
It has been a slow start for 2021 Argentina apple exports.
During the first four months of 2021, the Rio Negro region exported 24,071 tons of apples, reflecting a 30 percent decrease when compared to the same period of last year and the lowest export volume of region’s history, as reported by Rio Negro.
According to the Agricultural Food Health and Quality Service (Senasa), traditionally, the first semester sets a trend on what the season will be. Official statistics show most of the destinations for this fruit showed negative numbers. Considering the slump, it is difficult for apple export volumes to end on a positive note at the end of 2021.
Domestic market shipments and stocks registered in cold storage also fell during this part of the year.
Senasa points out pear exports reached 171,865 tons during this period, reflecting a drop of 4 percent when compared to the same time last year.
Between apples and pears, the region is shipping about 17,000 fewer tons of fruit, reflecting losses of just over $14 million during this time.
The Chilean Citrus Committee of ASOEX estimates a 6% increase in citrus exports, encompassing navels, lemons, and easy peelers (clementines and mandarins).
With a total citrus forecast of 387,000 metric tons, Chile expects to ship roughly 85% of all of its volume to the U.S. market, according to a news release from the group detailing the initial crop estimate.
Growth will continue to be driven by the easy peeler category, with a projected 7% increase for clementines (rising to 55,000 metric tons) and an 11% increase for mandarins (up to 145,000 metric tons), according to the news release. The estimated double-digit growth for mandarins in 2021 follows a 40% volume jump in 2020.
Lemons, of which an estimated 60% will be shipped to the U.S., are expected to see a 3% increase, according to the release. Chilean navel volume will stay relatively the same, at around 89,000 metric tons.
According to the committee, the overall increase in volume is due primarily to the expansion of plantings over the past decade. There are now 55,105 acres of citrus in Chile.
“Last year’s rain in the central region replenished reservoirs and helped boost production,” Juan Enrique Ortuzar, president of the Chilean Citrus Committee, said in the release.
Leamington, ON – A recent loss conscious program focuses on selling Nature Fresh Farms imperfect produce to reduce food waste.
The Waste Me Nots program was recently created to leverage Nature Fresh Farms Tomatoes, Peppers, and Cucumbers that do not meet the criteria of their Quality Control team. As most greenhouses hope to grow flawless quality produce, some product grows to be naturally bent or smaller in size. Although unique in shape and size, these vegetables still have the same nutritional value and flavor as their perfect counterparts. Nature Fresh Farms wants to put these pieces of produce in the spotlight, creating more of an opportunity to fight waste and give shoppers further access to nutritious foods.
‘We believe it’s important to ensure that nutritious and delicious produce does not go to waste,” shared Ray Wowryk, Director of Business Development. “By creating this program, we are helping our retailers with a ready-made waste reduction alternative.”
Since volume of this type of product is not predictable, the program cannot be guaranteed to supply specific quantities and will depend on the product grown. However, Nature Fresh Farm feels that the unpredictability is outweighed by the fact that their quality and freshness is worth rescuing and sharing with consumers, making the most of all their product grown.
“Sustainability is at the center of everything we do at Nature Fresh Farms. Not only does this encompass our packaging and growing processes but also that the food we grow gets utilized completely,” explained the Director of Sales, Matt Quiring. “The Waste Me Nots program helps us to reduce waste while allowing us to better service the price focused shoppers looking for quality tasting products at a discounted price and let our retail partners bring in some incremental sales to the category.”
Nature Fresh Farms wants to bring more cost-effective options to its consumers and bring the focus back to the taste and freshness of the produce, not solely the look of it. They hope to break the cycle of imperfect food waste by offering discounted misshapen vegetables that there would normally not be a market for and expand the consumers knowledge of the type of produce they purchase.
About Nature Fresh Farms
Nature Fresh Farms has become one of the largest independent, vertically integrated greenhouse vegetable farms in North America. It is a year-round grower with farms in Leamington, ON, Delta, OH, and Mexico.
Wonderful Citrus of Delano, CA will import summer citrus from Chile, South Africa, Peru, Uruguay and Argentina and Chris Cockle, with volume expected to be up significantly.
2021 will be the first year the company will have a year-round supply of Halos featuring high quality and value, meaning it will be on ad by supermarkets.” Cockle said, adding that the 2021 summer season will feature promotable Halo volumes for the first time.
Wonderful has exclusive access to one of the largest growers in the Southern Hemisphere, in South Africa, providing consistent high quality and reliable supply.
The company notes transportation costs are up this year, but Wonderful has options to increase efficiency across the country for shipping. Wonderful also has an exclusive third-party packing house in Savannah, GA.
Summer citrus volume for Yonkers, N.Y.-based Jac Vandenberg should see slightly increased volume, says John Paap, brand manager for the company.
With expected volume of close to 1.7 million cartons, the importer sources citrus from Argentina, Australia, Chile, Peru, South Africa and Uruguay, Paap said. About 1% of Jac Vandenberg’s volume is organic, and Paap said the company intends to expand its organic citrus offering in coming years.
Jac Vandenberg of Yonkers, NY expects a slight increase volume with summer citrus.
Vandenberg expects to import 1.7 million cartons of citrus from Argentina, Australia, Chile, Peru, South Africa and Uruguay. About 1% of the company’s volume is organic.
Vandenberg has a full lineup of citrus products, which includes lemons, oranges, mandarins, grapefruit and tangelos.
Monterey, CA— Total organic fresh produce sales for the first quarter of 2021 saw a continuation of last year’s growth, increasing by 9.3 percent from the same period in 2020 and topping $2.2 billion for the quarter, according to the Q1 2021 Organic Produce Performance Report released exclusively by Organic Produce Network and Category Partners.
Organic fresh produce sales and volume in the first quarter of 2021 maintained a trend established in March of last year, with elevated sales across the entire supermarket, as consumers continued at-home eating in light of restaurant closures. However, moving into the second quarter of 2021, it is apparent that the pandemic closures are beginning to ease, and the question has now become if—and how fast—consumers will return to their pre-COVID food purchasing behaviors.
The 9.3-percent year-over-year sales growth of organic fresh produce for the first quarter of 2021 outpaced conventional produce sales, which grew by only 2.9 percent. Organic fresh produce volume grew by 5.7 percent, while conventional volume saw a decline of 0.6 percent.
The top 10 organic produce categories continued to perform very well, with 8 of the top 10 categories generating increases in both dollars and volume. Of these top 10 categories, only organic carrots and apples failed to generate year-over-year dollar and volume gains during the first quarter.
The top 10 organic categories drove 72 percent of total organic volume and 70 percent of total organic sales. In conventional produce, these same categories drive only 64 percent of total sales and 67 percent of volume.
“Once again, sales of organic fresh produce continue to be a major growth opportunity for retailers across the country. At the same time, as the country enters a post-COVID environment, with restaurants reopening and other foodservice options available, it appears the double-digit growth rate will be slowing,” said Matt Seeley, CEO of Organic Produce Network.
Packaged salads remain the single largest driver of organic dollars, accounting for 17 percent of all organic sales. During the first quarter of 2021, packaged salad dollars saw a year-over-year increase of 9.5 percent. Organic berries have become a key winter category, driving over 15 percent of total organic produce dollars during the first quarter. The first quarter of 2021 was a strong quarter for berries, generating a year-over-year sales increase of 8.8 percent.
“Within the top 10 categories, fresh herbs (+28.2 percent), lettuce (+34.7 percent), and tomatoes (+14.7 percent) generated the largest percentage gains in dollars,” said Steve Lutz, senior vice president for insights and innovation at Category Partners. “In terms of Q1 volume, bananas, carrots, and apples rank as the top drivers of organic volume at retail, generating a remarkable 37 percent of total organic volume. Bananas alone drive 17 percent of all organic volume.”
Year-over-year organic sales and volume increases during the first quarter of 2021 were strong in every region of the US. The West and Northeast are historically the strongest regions for organic produce sales and the two regions generated the highest increases in dollar growth.
The Q1 2021 Organic Produce Performance Report utilized Nielsen retail scan data covering total food sales and outlets in the US over the months of January, February, and March. The full Q1 2021 Organic Produce Performance Reportis available on the Organic Produce Network website at https://www.organicproducenetwork.com/education.
OPN is a marketing organization serving as the go-to resource for the organic fresh produce industry. The company’s mission is to inform and educate through a strong digital presence with an emphasis on original content and complimented by engaging live events which bring together various components of the organic food community. The OPN audience includes organic producers, handlers, distributors, processors, wholesalers, foodservice operators, and retailers. www.organicproducenetwork.com
U.S. total fruit imports rose by 8 percent over last year to $6.4 billion in the first quarter of 2021, with much of the increase led by berries.
Fresh blueberries, strawberries and raspberries all saw increases of about 25 percent. Imports of blueberries rose by 28 percent to $377 million, while strawberry imports were up 25 percent to $596 million, and raspberries also increased by 25 percent to $302 million. Blackberries had a more modest increase of 11 percent to $145 million.
However, two of the biggest fruit import categories – avocados and bananas – dropped by 5 and 6 percent respectively to $674 million and $470 million.
Table grape imports through mid-February were off 14 percent at $388 million, while in the second half of the quarter it increased by 13 percent to $480 million.
With citrus, there was a 28 percent rise to $232 million which driven mostly by limes, which grew by 43 percent to $156 million.
Imports of fresh melons dropped by 14 percent to $193 millon.
Frozen fruits saw a significant 38 percent uptick to $341 million, while fruit juices were up 21 percent to $559 million, and processed fruit grew by 2 percent to $464 million.
LAGRANGE, GA – The Eastern Cantaloupe Growers Association (ECGA), a leading food safety and advocacy group for Eastern Cantaloupe growers in the Midwest and eastern U.S., has announced the launch of its Flavor of Sunshine campaign to support the 2021 Eastern Cantaloupe season. The annual campaign helps drive business for retailers with consumer-facing marketing components such as branded PLU stickers on the fruit, recipes and a social media campaign that promotes the benefits of Eastern Cantaloupes.
Also called Athena melon, muskmelon and rockmelon, among other names, Eastern Cantaloupes are grown throughout the Midwest and all along the East Coast. In its outreach to retailers, ECGA notes that melons produced in these regions, which are available from mid-June through early September, benefit from the wetter climate and rich soil, and consequently tend to be larger and sweeter than those grown in the western U.S.
“Eastern Cantaloupes go from field to store in as little as 24 hours,” said Tony Phillips, COO at Frey Farms of Keenes, IL and ECGA president. “They’re picked when ripe, ready to eat and give off an enticing aroma that hints at their incredible sweetness. They’re also larger than other cantaloupes, so they catch the eye of any shopper walking through the produce area.”
“Our members are proud of the Eastern Cantaloupes they grow, with their exceptional sweetness and unique flavor profile,” said Debbie Johnson, ECGA executive director. “They’re also proud of the strong partnership they have with buyers and retailers in the Midwest and eastern U.S. and are excited about the Flavor of Sunshine campaign and the positive impact it will have on retail sales.”
“Eastern Cantaloupes have the benefit of providing immediate satisfaction to retail customers,” said Matt Solana, VP of operations at Jackson’s Farming Co. of Autryville, NC and ECGA treasurer. “They take home a melon with its even, straw color and sweet smell, and cut into it that same day to enjoy the delicious flavor that so clearly says, ‘Summer is here!’ For the American consumer, there’s a positive association between cantaloupes and summertime that runs deep.”
About ECGA The Eastern Cantaloupe Growers Association was founded in 2013 to foster programs that serve the needs of the Eastern Cantaloupe industry. Headquartered in LaGrange, GA, the organization is committed to strict adherence of the highest food safety standards and provides educational programs on the proper production, packing, handling, storing, processing and distribution of Eastern Cantaloupes and similar melons. It also conducts unannounced safety audits at member farms and packing facilities. In addition, ECGA members benefit from marketing initiatives that educate buyers, grocers and consumers about the benefits of Eastern Cantaloupes. Learn more at https://ecga-usa.org/.
CLEVELAND — A new Freedonia Group analysis projects US sales of fresh produce packaging to grow 3.7% per year to nearly $7 billion in 2024, as demand continues to rise among both consumers and foodservice establishments for produce sold in some form of packaging – including pouches, bags, and rigid plastic containers.
Among the key drivers of growth will be increasing sales of ready-to-eat (RTE) salads, as well as pre-cut produce such as apple slices, melon spears, and carrot sticks – which are typically sold in clamshells, cups, and other plastic containers. Sales of these and other prepackaged fresh produce have soared during the pandemic due to:
surging grocery sales – including more packaging-intensive online grocery orders – as consumers began eating out far less and cooking in way more
increased concerns about the safety of loose bulk-bin items that have been handled by others in stores
rising demand for convenience foods, including RTE produce, which require minimal or no prep before consumption, unlike their unpackaged counterparts, which often need to be washed, peeled, and/or chopped
Sales of plastic containers increased 5% in 2020, the biggest gain of the main produce packaging types – boosted by their intensive use with RTE produce. The sharp increase recorded in organic produce sales further bolstered plastic container demand, as these premium brands tend to employ value-added rigid packaging for product differentiation purposes, whereas non-organic brands tend to employ bags or pillow pouches due to their lower cost.
Through 2024, sales of plastic containers are expected to outpace those for all other major packaging categories, as clamshells and other plastic containers continue to supplant commodity bags and pillow pouches due to their good protective and display properties.
About the Freedonia Group – The Freedonia Group, a division of MarketResearch.com, is the premier international industrial research company, providing our clients with product analyses, market forecasts, industry trends, and market share information. From one-person consulting firms to global conglomerates, our analysts provide companies with unbiased, reliable industry market research and analysis to help them make important business decisions. With over 100 studies published annually, we support over 90% of the industrial Fortune 500 companies.
