Author Archive
by Travis Minor and Agnes Perez, USDA ERS
Fresh fruit availability, production, and imports are increasing. However, rather than seeing increased supply lead to depressed prices, strong consumer demand appears to be supporting healthy growth in the prices of fruit commodities as availability grows, according to ERS’s annual update of the Fruit and Tree Nut Yearbook.
Decade averages show fresh fruit per capita availability increased by 21 percent over the past 40 years, from around 90 pounds in the 1980s to 110 pounds between 2000 and 2016. The opposite trend is seen in processed fruit and fruit-for-juice per capita availability, which has slowly declined over the decades. Since their relative peaks in the 1980s, availabilities for both processed fruit and fruit for juice have declined approximately 26 percent, to 29 and 88 pounds per person, respectively.
Domestic juice, processed, and even fresh-citrus production has been steady or slightly trending down since the 1980s. The growth through the mid-1990s was mainly driven by oranges for processing, traditionally around 50 percent, but falling to 35-40 percent in the most recent years. Citrus bearing acreage, mainly for processing, has been declining in Florida (focused mostly on the citrus processing sector) due to disease pressure (most notably citrus greening) and hurricane impacts.
Over the same period, domestic production of fresh fruits, primarily driven by non-citrus production, has been modestly increasing, suggesting that the market may be shifting from processed to fresh preparations. Citrus bearing acres are also declining in California, which dominates U.S. fresh market citrus production, where some producers are switching to higher value crops, including tree nuts such as almonds.
Trade plays an increasingly important part in both fresh and processed fruit markets. The United States imports more fresh and processed fruit than it exports. In 1980, fresh fruit imports were 27 percent of domestic availability, and processed fruit (excluding wine) imports were about 9 percent of domestic availability. By 2016, the import share of domestic availability nearly doubled, to over 53 percent, for fresh fruits and rose nearly fivefold, to 44 percent, for all processed fruits.
Growth in both markets is partially explained by two phenomena. First, growth in counter-seasonal imports has expanded as southern hemisphere trade partners like Chile have become more export-oriented to satisfy U.S. consumer demand for year-round availability of popular fruits. Second, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) opened up trade with Mexico, a significant U.S. supplier of fresh fruit. However, across all markets, strong, steady growth is observed even before the mid-90s, reflecting the long-term global trend of expanded agricultural trade. The export market for fruits, which may have been similarly impacted by NAFTA, has grown at a slower pace.
Loadings of fresh summer berries are expected across the nation from the major shipping areas.
Shipments of blueberries, raspberries and blackberries across pr0duction areas of the U.S. have been less as cool weather prevailed during much of the growing season, although is changing. Excellent volume should be coming.
Salinas Valley strawberries from the Watsonville area accounted for over 1,000 truck loads last week and the peak of the season hasn’t even arrived yet.
Although California Giant Berry Farms of Watsonville, CA is now shipping Georgia blueberries. Next month it will be moving to California for product. California shipments will then eventually will shift to the Pacific Northwest.
Oregon Berry Packing Co. of Hillsboro, Ore. will begin blueberry shipment in mid- to late June or early July, depending on weather. The normal start date is in late June.
New Jersey blueberry shipments are expected to be good, although no record numbers are seen, which should around 38 million pounds of fresh berries and up to 8 million pounds for the freezer market. Harvest should start June 15 or 16, and continue until August 15.
MBG Marketing of Grand Junction, MI expects to start Michigan blueberry shipments in mid-June, a week to 10 days later than usual. Peak volume should be occurring for the Fourth of July and Labor Day.
Wish Farms of Plant City, FL finished its Florida Blueberry shipments in mid May and now has good volume coming out of Georgia.
California Giant has just transitioned its blackberry and raspberry programs from Mexico to Watsonville, where shipments will continue all summer.
Giumarra Cos. of Los Angeles now has good volume with Georgia blackberries and blueberries, which will continue through June.
California strawberries are grossing about $6000 to Chicago.
Here’s some loading opportunities ranging from melons in Arizona, to Georgia onions and imported Lemonade apples from New Zealand.
Cantaloupe and honeydew shipments are underway from Maricopa, AZ. Santa Rosa Produce is expecting to ship a normal volume of over 4 million boxes of melons from its 5000-acre farming operation.
Vidalia Onion Shipments
Vidalia onion growers started harvest April 20 this year compared to April 12 last year.
Vidalia on shipments have been underway for over a month now and a fairly normal crop of about 5 million cartons is still expected to shipped. USDA figures show Georgia onion shipments the week of April 29 to May 5 totaled 390,000 40-pound cartons, down 22 percent from 497,500 cartons the same week a year ago. Season-to-date shipments of Georgia onions through May 5 totaled 1.01 million 40-pound cartons, down 48 percent from 1.925 million cartons shipped at the same time a year ago. The season got underway about a week later than in 2017, which accounts for much of the smaller volume to date. Last year Vidalia shipped about 5.7 million 40-pound units of sweet onions.
Vidalia growers have storage capacity of about 3 million cartons with shipment expected to continue through the summer.
New Zealand Lemonade Apples
by Giumarra Companies
LOS ANGELES – The Giumarra Companies is entering its third season as the exclusive North American supplier of Lemonade™ variety apples with increased volumes.
“We know from market research that apples are still one of consumers’ most-purchased items in the produce department. Consumers are seeking new, exciting flavors and Lemonade is a unique variety that fits the bill,” says Jason Bushong, Division Manager of Giumarra Wenatchee. “It’s a striking yellow apple and the flavor is refreshing and tangy-sweet with a hint of effervescence.”
Lemonade is currently grown solely in New Zealand, with plans to expand to North American growing regions. Bushong cites the apple’s fresh crop attributes as a differentiating factor.
First shipments of Lemonade will arrive at the end of May to both East and West Coast ports. The season will conclude in August.
About the Giumarra Companies
The Giumarra Companies is a leading international network of fresh produce growers, distributors, and marketers under the Nature’s Partner brand.
Strawberry shipments along with mixed vegetables are showing significant increases from the Salinas Valley, including Watsonville, as truck rates to many destinations had double digit increases. Also, consignment loads should be a concern to truckers.
While Ventura County strawberry shipments are just about finished, Santa Maria and Salinas were providing most of the strawberry volume during the past week. However, Santa Maria is entering a seasonal decline, while Salinas is just heating up. For example, between Salinas and Santa Maria this past week over 1700 truck loads of strawberries were shipped. In the weeks ahead it will the Watsonville area that takes over berry volume.
In the coming weeks California truck rates on produce will be interesting to watch. In recent days, some truck rates from Salinas to New York City were hitting $9000.
Strawberry shippers are complaining about too much strawberry volume and low prices at shipping. However, this writer has yet to see significant drops in strawberry prices at his local Wal Mart.
The situation regarding a glut of strawberries is so bad, it could mean trouble for produce truckers hauling the fruit. Some berries are being sold on consignment. In other words, product is being shipped in hopes of finding a buyer while it is in transit. Some product that normally would be sold on the fresh market is going to the processors.
If you are hauling a load of strawberries that are on consignment, be aware you maybe pressured to change your destination if a buyer is found in another city. Too often, extra miles are added to a trip without adequate compensation for the additional miles being offered.
The USDA reports total shipments of strawberries from all origins for the week of May 6 – 12 totaled 77.9 million pounds, up 31 percent from 59.5 million pounds the same week a year ago.
California strawberry shipments accounted for nearly 99 percent of all commercial shipments, with light volume from Mexico and North Carolina.
California’s shipments of 76.8 million pounds the week of May 6-12 were up 31 percent compared with a year ago, when the state shipped 58.6 million cartons. California’s loadings of organic strawberries the week of May 6-12 totaled 6.2 million pounds, up 20 percent from 5.2 million pounds the same week a year ago.
California strawberry volume for the fresh market of 9.568 million trays the week of May 6-May 12 was up from a previous projection of 7 million trays for that week.
Through May 12, season-to-date shipments (conventional and organic) of California strawberries totaled 55.01 million trays, down slightly from 56.7 million trays last year at the same time and 57.7 million two years ago.
Organic fresh produce items reached almost $5 billion in 2017, an 8 percent increase from the previous year, according to data released by the Organic Produce Network and Nielsen. Overall, nearly 2 billion pounds of organic produce were sold in grocery stores last year, a 10 percent volume increase from 2016.
Partnering with Nielsen, OPN’s review of 2017 organic fresh produce sales at retail stores across the United States shows dollar sales of organic fresh vegetables were $2.4 billion, while organic fresh fruit sales topped $1.6 billion. Nearly $1 billion in organic value-added produce items brought total sales to $4.8 billion in 2017.
Sales of organic fruit volume and dollar sales were up 12.6 percent from 2016 to 2017, while organic fresh vegetable sales showed a 4 percent increase in dollar sales and a 6 percent increase in overall volume. Organic packaged salad was again the leading organic fresh produce item sold last year, approaching $1 billion in sales. Packaged salad still accounts for one in five organic dollars, but the 2.3 percent growth rate was below the department average.
Organic fruits led the growth with a 23 percent increase in organic berry volume sales. Not far behind was the growth of bananas and apples. Organic berry sales, which include strawberries, blueberries and blackberries, topped $586 million in 2017, with volume up 22 percent from last year. Organic apple and banana volume increased 11 and 17.5 percent respectively last year, while the average retail prices for each category down 8 and 3 percent.
“What’s most impressive about these two categories is the growth they were able to achieve in organic despite stagnant or declining conventional fresh produce sales. This also highlights that even the most mature categories have opportunity to grow the consumer base and sales through an organic offering,” said Matt Seeley, co-founder and chief executive officer of Organic Produce Network. “Not many product groups can claim double-digit growth in today’s competitive environment, which reinforces the power and importance of organic produce.”
Rounding out the top five was double-digit growth from organic fresh produce beverages and the herb and spices segment.
“Potatoes, grapes and citrus all rank in the top 10 for conventional sales but fail to crack the top 10 in organic sales, which shows that some categories still have opportunity for an increased market presence, said Matt Lally, an associate director at Nielsen. “Understanding and setting pricing strategies between conventional and organic varieties is critical for success. People will pay a premium for organic, but at some point, they will trade to conventional or out of the category all together.”
by Northwest Cherry Growers
Northwest cherry shipments are on pace for a strong start in June.
About 22.6 million (20-pound equivalent) boxes are forecast to be shipped this season. The 2018 crop on the trees gives every indication of a fantastic season to come for growers, truckers and retailers alike.
In 2015 and 2016, we shipped for at least a week in the month of May. Last season (2017) we didn’t begin shipping until the eighth of June. Based on individual grower records of bloom timing in the Tri-Cities district, one of our earliest producing areas, they expect some early fruit during the first week of June with Chelan volume ramping up during the second week. There is weather and time yet to happen between now and the start of harvest, but if all of these patterns continue we will still expect to see significant volumes in June, especially the June 27th break prior to the Fourth of July holiday.
Every tree is different, but there are several trends noted across varieties and growing areas. In general, bloom this season was well spread throughout the trees. “Snowball” bloom, or heavy clusters of flowers, were less prevalent. The flower count per bud has also been closer to normal, 2-to-3 flowers, as compared to last year’s 4-to-6 flowers. Fewer flowers per bud typically translates into more energy distributed into fewer cherries per tree.
After bloom finishes, the next stage of the estimate waiting game begins….from Rainiers in the Orondo area to Chelans in Pasco. However, it takes several weeks after bloom finishes before growers can determine what will “stick” on the trees…in other words, which flowers were pollinated and will turn into cherries. Most commercial varieties will drop what they’re going to by the pit hardening stage, typically two to three weeks after bloom, but some cherries like the Chelan can “drop” all the way up to harvest.
Washington is shipping nearly 3200 truck load equivalents of apples weekly – grossing about $7000 to New York City.
I
mported Mexican guava volume has been trending higher for Spring Valley Fruits LLC of Pharr, Tx, the largest U.S. importer of the tropical fruit. The company imports about 60 to 65 percent of all the Mexican fresh guava coming to the U.S., said Alberto Diaz Lopez, principal with the company.
The company’s sales have grown 70 percent over the past two years. Imports of Mexican guava is grown the round, typically being harvested green and breaking to a yellow color. Spring Valley not only has its own orchards and packing shed in Aguascalientes, but also markets guava for other growers in Michoacán, Zacatecas, and the state of Mexico.
Fresh guava imports from Mexico were approved in 2008.
The company has been growing guavas for 50 years, and before fresh guavas were authorized for entry into the U.S., the company exported frozen and dehydrated guavas.
USDA statistics show Mexico’s shipments of fresh guava totaling over 8,926 metric tons in 2017, up 18 percent from 2016 and 52 percent higher than 2015. Mexico accounted for 93 percent of U.S. fresh guava imports in 2017, with light volume coming from Thailand and India.
Shipped in 16-pound cartons, U.S. imports of Mexican fresh guava totaled about 1.22 million cartons in 2017.
Many varieties of guava are grown in countries all over the world, and the Mexican guava has different characteristics than varieties grown in Asia.
Spring Valley Fruits first entered the U.S. market selling only bulk in 13-pound cartons, but since then clamshells have become more popular and now account for about 40 percent of business.
Sold at near $1.20 per pound at shipping point, the company also ships guava in 16 1-pound cartons, with a major customer being Wal-Mart.
Guava is high in nutrition and the potential for growth is seen to be very good. It could very well become more popular perhaps following the track of other tropical fruit commodities that were once obscure but are now familiar to many.
by Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board
Dewitt, MI — Although limited in acreage, growers in the Southern region of Michigan asparagus shipments started the week of May 7th. However, most of the state’s growers located West Central Michigan, in the heart of the asparagus growing area, didn’t get underway until the week of May 14th. Shipments will continue until early July.
This year, due to unseasonably cool spring temperatures and late season snowfall, growers across the state are experiencing one of the latest asparagus season starts in memory.
John Bakker, Executive Director of the Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board reassures, “We may have a delayed start but most grower shippers are on schedule to harvest and deliver similar volume to last season.” Bakker commented, “The biggest difference will be that the build up of volume will not happen slowly, over a couple weeks, but come on quickly between the week of May 14th until it reaches promotable volumes beginning the week of May 21st and continuing throughout the season.”
With quality and volume expected to be high this year, the 120 family farmers that produce the majority of Michigan’s asparagus are anticipating a great season.
Leveraging online influencers to reach consumers where they are has had proven success, and the Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board is promoting online engagement by offering giveaways during the season. Consumers can enter to win weekly nationwide flash giveaways for $50, blogger event giveaways for $100, or the board’s season-long giveaway of over $2000 in cash prizes including a $1000 grand prize. Each giveaway encourages consumers to connect and engage with the board’s ever-growing online community through social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
About the Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board
The Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board (MAAB) promotes the production and consumption of Michigan Asparagus nationwide. The organization is dedicated to sharing the virtues of asparagus, while also assisting with agricultural research and the development of asparagus farming. The MAAB is funded by Michigan Asparagus growers.
Michigan is shipping in light volume potatoes, as well as apples – grossing about $1100 to Chicago.
by Potandon Produce L.L.C.
Idaho Falls, ID – Potandon Produce L.L.C., the exclusive marketing agent for Pinto Creek Co., LLC in Eloy, Arizona, began potato shipments May 10th.
Early season growing conditions did delay this year’s crop, but did not impact quality. Red potatoes became available for shipping on the 10th, with yellows available May 14th. Potandon will also distribute Arizona potatoes from their Idaho Falls, Idaho cross-dock facility starting approximately May 18th.
Dick Thomas, Senior VP of Sales reported that overall acreage has remained fairly consistent with the last two years, with a slight increase in mini potato acres to meet additional demand.
Pinto Creek is a PRIMUS certified facility with a full-time Quality Assurance person on-site daily. The packing facility has seen steady improvement over the past decade with the addition of a new storage facility and modernized grading and sizing equipment. The Pinto Creek team commitment to excellence has elevated their status to one of the premier red and yellow potato packing sheds in the nation.
About Potandon Produce L.L.C.
Headquartered in Idaho Falls, Idaho, Potandon Produce is the largest marketer of fresh potatoes and one of the largest marketers of fresh onions in North America. Potandon holds the exclusive licensing rights to the Green Giant™ brand for fresh potatoes and onions in North America, and is able to provide year-round supply to any size retail, foodservice, or wholesale customer. Potandon is also an industry leader in food safety and in bringing innovative products to the market. Visit www.potandon.com to learn more about Potandon, and go to Potandon’s consumer website, www.klondikebrands.com, to learn more about the company’s distinctive potato varieties. To learn more about the Green Giant™ Fresh program visit www.greengiantfresh.com.
Green Giant, the Green Giant character, Sprout, and associated words and designs are trademarks of B&G Foods North America, Inc.-used under license. ©2016 B&G Foods North America, Inc.
by The Alliance for Food and Farming
Watsonville, CA – According to the USDA and the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sampling data, 99 percent of residues on fruits and vegetables, when present at all, are well below safety levels set by the Environmental Protection Agency.
FDA sampling shows that 50 percent of the foods sampled had no detectable residues at all. “In light of today’s “dirty dozen” list release, both government reports are good news for consumers and show that the “list” author’s contentions about residues and “dirty” produce are unfounded, unsupportable and, in fact, may be harming public health efforts to improve the diets of Americans,” says Teresa Thorne, Executive Director of the Alliance for Food and Farming.
Thorne says peer reviewed research published in Nutrition Today shows that inaccurate statements regarding “high” residues associated with the annual “dirty dozen” release resulted in low income consumers stating they would be less likely to purchase any produce – organic or conventionally grown. “For over two decades the authors of this list have inaccurately disparaged healthy and safe fruits and veggies to the detriment of consumers,” Thorne says. “Since a farmer’s first consumer is his or her own family, providing safe and wholesome food is always their priority. Consumers should be reassured by the farmers’ commitment to food safety and government reports that verify that safety year after year.” Among the additional USDA/FDA findings:
- Pesticide residues pose no risk of concern for infants and children.
- The results provide consumers confidence that the products they buy for their families are safe and wholesome.
Further, a peer reviewed study found that EWG’s suggested substitution of organic forms of produce for conventional forms did not result in any decrease in risk because residues on conventional produce are so minute, if present at all. The same study states that EWG did not follow any established scientific procedures in developing their list. There are decades of peer-reviewed nutrition studies which show the benefits of eating a diet rich in fruits and veggies on health, Thorne explains.
These studies were largely conducted using conventionally grown produce. Thorne adds that health experts universally agree that a plant rich diet is important for everyone, but especially for children, pregnant women or those wishing to become pregnant. “What I tell women routinely is all the data suggests you want to increase your intake (of fruits and vegetables) during pregnancy and for that matter before you even become pregnant to help optimize your chance of having a healthy child,” says Dr. Carl Keen,
Professor of Nutrition at the University of California, Davis whose research focuses on the influence of the maternal diet on the risk for pregnancy complications. For those struggling with infertility, A 2018 study in human reproduction found females under 35 undergoing in vitro fertilization had a 65 to 68 percemt increased chance of success with a stronger adherence to the Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes eating lots of fruits and veggies each day.
Further illustrating how low pesticide residues are, if present at all, an analysis by a toxicologist with the University of California’s Personal Chemical Exposure Program found that a child could literally eat hundreds to thousands of servings of a fruit or vegetable in a day and still not have any effects from pesticide residues. “For strawberries, a child could eat 181 servings or 1,448 strawberries in a day and still not have any effects from pesticide residues,” Thorne says. For consumers who may still have concerns, they should simply wash their fruits and vegetables. According to the FDA, you can reduce and often eliminate residues, if they are present at all, on fresh fruits and vegetables simply by washing. To learn more about the safety of all fruits and vegetables visitsafefruitsandveggies.com (Twitter and Facebook).
The Alliance for Food and Farming is a non-profit organization formed in 1989 which represents organic and conventional farmers and farms of all sizes. Alliance contributors are limited to farmers of fruits and vegetables, companies that sell, market or ship fruits and vegetables or organizations that represent produce farmers. Our mission is to deliver credible information about the safety of fruits and vegetables. The Alliance does not engage in any lobbying activities, nor do we accept any money or support from the pesticide industry.
A gift from the Alliance for Food and Farming (AFF) to the Illinois Institute of Technology, Center for Nutrition Research helped fund the research published in the peer review journal, Nutrition Today. However, the AFF was uninvolved in any facet of the study nor were we made aware of the study findings until after the paper was peer reviewed and accepted by the journal.
by Travis Minor and Agnes Perez, USDA ERS
Fresh fruit availability, production, and imports are increasing. However, rather than seeing increased supply lead to depressed prices, strong consumer demand appears to be supporting healthy growth in the prices of fruit commodities as availability grows, according to ERS’s annual update of the Fruit and Tree Nut Yearbook.
Decade averages show fresh fruit per capita availability increased by 21 percent over the past 40 years, from around 90 pounds in the 1980s to 110 pounds between 2000 and 2016. The opposite trend is seen in processed fruit and fruit-for-juice per capita availability, which has slowly declined over the decades. Since their relative peaks in the 1980s, availabilities for both processed fruit and fruit for juice have declined approximately 26 percent, to 29 and 88 pounds per person, respectively.
Domestic juice, processed, and even fresh-citrus production has been steady or slightly trending down since the 1980s. The growth through the mid-1990s was mainly driven by oranges for processing, traditionally around 50 percent, but falling to 35-40 percent in the most recent years. Citrus bearing acreage, mainly for processing, has been declining in Florida (focused mostly on the citrus processing sector) due to disease pressure (most notably citrus greening) and hurricane impacts.
Over the same period, domestic production of fresh fruits, primarily driven by non-citrus production, has been modestly increasing, suggesting that the market may be shifting from processed to fresh preparations. Citrus bearing acres are also declining in California, which dominates U.S. fresh market citrus production, where some producers are switching to higher value crops, including tree nuts such as almonds.
Trade plays an increasingly important part in both fresh and processed fruit markets. The United States imports more fresh and processed fruit than it exports. In 1980, fresh fruit imports were 27 percent of domestic availability, and processed fruit (excluding wine) imports were about 9 percent of domestic availability. By 2016, the import share of domestic availability nearly doubled, to over 53 percent, for fresh fruits and rose nearly fivefold, to 44 percent, for all processed fruits.
Growth in both markets is partially explained by two phenomena. First, growth in counter-seasonal imports has expanded as southern hemisphere trade partners like Chile have become more export-oriented to satisfy U.S. consumer demand for year-round availability of popular fruits. Second, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) opened up trade with Mexico, a significant U.S. supplier of fresh fruit. However, across all markets, strong, steady growth is observed even before the mid-90s, reflecting the long-term global trend of expanded agricultural trade. The export market for fruits, which may have been similarly impacted by NAFTA, has grown at a slower pace.
Loadings of fresh summer berries are expected across the nation from the major shipping areas.
Shipments of blueberries, raspberries and blackberries across pr0duction areas of the U.S. have been less as cool weather prevailed during much of the growing season, although is changing. Excellent volume should be coming.
Salinas Valley strawberries from the Watsonville area accounted for over 1,000 truck loads last week and the peak of the season hasn’t even arrived yet.
Although California Giant Berry Farms of Watsonville, CA is now shipping Georgia blueberries. Next month it will be moving to California for product. California shipments will then eventually will shift to the Pacific Northwest.
Oregon Berry Packing Co. of Hillsboro, Ore. will begin blueberry shipment in mid- to late June or early July, depending on weather. The normal start date is in late June.
New Jersey blueberry shipments are expected to be good, although no record numbers are seen, which should around 38 million pounds of fresh berries and up to 8 million pounds for the freezer market. Harvest should start June 15 or 16, and continue until August 15.
MBG Marketing of Grand Junction, MI expects to start Michigan blueberry shipments in mid-June, a week to 10 days later than usual. Peak volume should be occurring for the Fourth of July and Labor Day.
Wish Farms of Plant City, FL finished its Florida Blueberry shipments in mid May and now has good volume coming out of Georgia.
California Giant has just transitioned its blackberry and raspberry programs from Mexico to Watsonville, where shipments will continue all summer.
Giumarra Cos. of Los Angeles now has good volume with Georgia blackberries and blueberries, which will continue through June.
California strawberries are grossing about $6000 to Chicago.
Here’s some loading opportunities ranging from melons in Arizona, to Georgia onions and imported Lemonade apples from New Zealand.
Cantaloupe and honeydew shipments are underway from Maricopa, AZ. Santa Rosa Produce is expecting to ship a normal volume of over 4 million boxes of melons from its 5000-acre farming operation.
Vidalia Onion Shipments
Vidalia onion growers started harvest April 20 this year compared to April 12 last year.
Vidalia on shipments have been underway for over a month now and a fairly normal crop of about 5 million cartons is still expected to shipped. USDA figures show Georgia onion shipments the week of April 29 to May 5 totaled 390,000 40-pound cartons, down 22 percent from 497,500 cartons the same week a year ago. Season-to-date shipments of Georgia onions through May 5 totaled 1.01 million 40-pound cartons, down 48 percent from 1.925 million cartons shipped at the same time a year ago. The season got underway about a week later than in 2017, which accounts for much of the smaller volume to date. Last year Vidalia shipped about 5.7 million 40-pound units of sweet onions.
Vidalia growers have storage capacity of about 3 million cartons with shipment expected to continue through the summer.
New Zealand Lemonade Apples
by Giumarra Companies
LOS ANGELES – The Giumarra Companies is entering its third season as the exclusive North American supplier of Lemonade™ variety apples with increased volumes.
“We know from market research that apples are still one of consumers’ most-purchased items in the produce department. Consumers are seeking new, exciting flavors and Lemonade is a unique variety that fits the bill,” says Jason Bushong, Division Manager of Giumarra Wenatchee. “It’s a striking yellow apple and the flavor is refreshing and tangy-sweet with a hint of effervescence.”
Lemonade is currently grown solely in New Zealand, with plans to expand to North American growing regions. Bushong cites the apple’s fresh crop attributes as a differentiating factor.
First shipments of Lemonade will arrive at the end of May to both East and West Coast ports. The season will conclude in August.
About the Giumarra Companies
The Giumarra Companies is a leading international network of fresh produce growers, distributors, and marketers under the Nature’s Partner brand.
Strawberry shipments along with mixed vegetables are showing significant increases from the Salinas Valley, including Watsonville, as truck rates to many destinations had double digit increases. Also, consignment loads should be a concern to truckers.
While Ventura County strawberry shipments are just about finished, Santa Maria and Salinas were providing most of the strawberry volume during the past week. However, Santa Maria is entering a seasonal decline, while Salinas is just heating up. For example, between Salinas and Santa Maria this past week over 1700 truck loads of strawberries were shipped. In the weeks ahead it will the Watsonville area that takes over berry volume.
In the coming weeks California truck rates on produce will be interesting to watch. In recent days, some truck rates from Salinas to New York City were hitting $9000.
Strawberry shippers are complaining about too much strawberry volume and low prices at shipping. However, this writer has yet to see significant drops in strawberry prices at his local Wal Mart.
The situation regarding a glut of strawberries is so bad, it could mean trouble for produce truckers hauling the fruit. Some berries are being sold on consignment. In other words, product is being shipped in hopes of finding a buyer while it is in transit. Some product that normally would be sold on the fresh market is going to the processors.
If you are hauling a load of strawberries that are on consignment, be aware you maybe pressured to change your destination if a buyer is found in another city. Too often, extra miles are added to a trip without adequate compensation for the additional miles being offered.
The USDA reports total shipments of strawberries from all origins for the week of May 6 – 12 totaled 77.9 million pounds, up 31 percent from 59.5 million pounds the same week a year ago.
California strawberry shipments accounted for nearly 99 percent of all commercial shipments, with light volume from Mexico and North Carolina.
California’s shipments of 76.8 million pounds the week of May 6-12 were up 31 percent compared with a year ago, when the state shipped 58.6 million cartons. California’s loadings of organic strawberries the week of May 6-12 totaled 6.2 million pounds, up 20 percent from 5.2 million pounds the same week a year ago.
California strawberry volume for the fresh market of 9.568 million trays the week of May 6-May 12 was up from a previous projection of 7 million trays for that week.
Through May 12, season-to-date shipments (conventional and organic) of California strawberries totaled 55.01 million trays, down slightly from 56.7 million trays last year at the same time and 57.7 million two years ago.
Organic fresh produce items reached almost $5 billion in 2017, an 8 percent increase from the previous year, according to data released by the Organic Produce Network and Nielsen. Overall, nearly 2 billion pounds of organic produce were sold in grocery stores last year, a 10 percent volume increase from 2016.
Partnering with Nielsen, OPN’s review of 2017 organic fresh produce sales at retail stores across the United States shows dollar sales of organic fresh vegetables were $2.4 billion, while organic fresh fruit sales topped $1.6 billion. Nearly $1 billion in organic value-added produce items brought total sales to $4.8 billion in 2017.
Sales of organic fruit volume and dollar sales were up 12.6 percent from 2016 to 2017, while organic fresh vegetable sales showed a 4 percent increase in dollar sales and a 6 percent increase in overall volume. Organic packaged salad was again the leading organic fresh produce item sold last year, approaching $1 billion in sales. Packaged salad still accounts for one in five organic dollars, but the 2.3 percent growth rate was below the department average.
Organic fruits led the growth with a 23 percent increase in organic berry volume sales. Not far behind was the growth of bananas and apples. Organic berry sales, which include strawberries, blueberries and blackberries, topped $586 million in 2017, with volume up 22 percent from last year. Organic apple and banana volume increased 11 and 17.5 percent respectively last year, while the average retail prices for each category down 8 and 3 percent.
“What’s most impressive about these two categories is the growth they were able to achieve in organic despite stagnant or declining conventional fresh produce sales. This also highlights that even the most mature categories have opportunity to grow the consumer base and sales through an organic offering,” said Matt Seeley, co-founder and chief executive officer of Organic Produce Network. “Not many product groups can claim double-digit growth in today’s competitive environment, which reinforces the power and importance of organic produce.”
Rounding out the top five was double-digit growth from organic fresh produce beverages and the herb and spices segment.
“Potatoes, grapes and citrus all rank in the top 10 for conventional sales but fail to crack the top 10 in organic sales, which shows that some categories still have opportunity for an increased market presence, said Matt Lally, an associate director at Nielsen. “Understanding and setting pricing strategies between conventional and organic varieties is critical for success. People will pay a premium for organic, but at some point, they will trade to conventional or out of the category all together.”
by Northwest Cherry Growers
Northwest cherry shipments are on pace for a strong start in June.
About 22.6 million (20-pound equivalent) boxes are forecast to be shipped this season. The 2018 crop on the trees gives every indication of a fantastic season to come for growers, truckers and retailers alike.
In 2015 and 2016, we shipped for at least a week in the month of May. Last season (2017) we didn’t begin shipping until the eighth of June. Based on individual grower records of bloom timing in the Tri-Cities district, one of our earliest producing areas, they expect some early fruit during the first week of June with Chelan volume ramping up during the second week. There is weather and time yet to happen between now and the start of harvest, but if all of these patterns continue we will still expect to see significant volumes in June, especially the June 27th break prior to the Fourth of July holiday.
Every tree is different, but there are several trends noted across varieties and growing areas. In general, bloom this season was well spread throughout the trees. “Snowball” bloom, or heavy clusters of flowers, were less prevalent. The flower count per bud has also been closer to normal, 2-to-3 flowers, as compared to last year’s 4-to-6 flowers. Fewer flowers per bud typically translates into more energy distributed into fewer cherries per tree.
After bloom finishes, the next stage of the estimate waiting game begins….from Rainiers in the Orondo area to Chelans in Pasco. However, it takes several weeks after bloom finishes before growers can determine what will “stick” on the trees…in other words, which flowers were pollinated and will turn into cherries. Most commercial varieties will drop what they’re going to by the pit hardening stage, typically two to three weeks after bloom, but some cherries like the Chelan can “drop” all the way up to harvest.
Washington is shipping nearly 3200 truck load equivalents of apples weekly – grossing about $7000 to New York City.
Imported Mexican guava volume has been trending higher for Spring Valley Fruits LLC of Pharr, Tx, the largest U.S. importer of the tropical fruit. The company imports about 60 to 65 percent of all the Mexican fresh guava coming to the U.S., said Alberto Diaz Lopez, principal with the company.
The company’s sales have grown 70 percent over the past two years. Imports of Mexican guava is grown the round, typically being harvested green and breaking to a yellow color. Spring Valley not only has its own orchards and packing shed in Aguascalientes, but also markets guava for other growers in Michoacán, Zacatecas, and the state of Mexico.
Fresh guava imports from Mexico were approved in 2008.
The company has been growing guavas for 50 years, and before fresh guavas were authorized for entry into the U.S., the company exported frozen and dehydrated guavas.
USDA statistics show Mexico’s shipments of fresh guava totaling over 8,926 metric tons in 2017, up 18 percent from 2016 and 52 percent higher than 2015. Mexico accounted for 93 percent of U.S. fresh guava imports in 2017, with light volume coming from Thailand and India.
Shipped in 16-pound cartons, U.S. imports of Mexican fresh guava totaled about 1.22 million cartons in 2017.
Many varieties of guava are grown in countries all over the world, and the Mexican guava has different characteristics than varieties grown in Asia.
Spring Valley Fruits first entered the U.S. market selling only bulk in 13-pound cartons, but since then clamshells have become more popular and now account for about 40 percent of business.
Sold at near $1.20 per pound at shipping point, the company also ships guava in 16 1-pound cartons, with a major customer being Wal-Mart.
Guava is high in nutrition and the potential for growth is seen to be very good. It could very well become more popular perhaps following the track of other tropical fruit commodities that were once obscure but are now familiar to many.
by Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board
Dewitt, MI — Although limited in acreage, growers in the Southern region of Michigan asparagus shipments started the week of May 7th. However, most of the state’s growers located West Central Michigan, in the heart of the asparagus growing area, didn’t get underway until the week of May 14th. Shipments will continue until early July.
This year, due to unseasonably cool spring temperatures and late season snowfall, growers across the state are experiencing one of the latest asparagus season starts in memory.
John Bakker, Executive Director of the Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board reassures, “We may have a delayed start but most grower shippers are on schedule to harvest and deliver similar volume to last season.” Bakker commented, “The biggest difference will be that the build up of volume will not happen slowly, over a couple weeks, but come on quickly between the week of May 14th until it reaches promotable volumes beginning the week of May 21st and continuing throughout the season.”
With quality and volume expected to be high this year, the 120 family farmers that produce the majority of Michigan’s asparagus are anticipating a great season.
Leveraging online influencers to reach consumers where they are has had proven success, and the Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board is promoting online engagement by offering giveaways during the season. Consumers can enter to win weekly nationwide flash giveaways for $50, blogger event giveaways for $100, or the board’s season-long giveaway of over $2000 in cash prizes including a $1000 grand prize. Each giveaway encourages consumers to connect and engage with the board’s ever-growing online community through social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
About the Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board
The Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board (MAAB) promotes the production and consumption of Michigan Asparagus nationwide. The organization is dedicated to sharing the virtues of asparagus, while also assisting with agricultural research and the development of asparagus farming. The MAAB is funded by Michigan Asparagus growers.
Michigan is shipping in light volume potatoes, as well as apples – grossing about $1100 to Chicago.
by Potandon Produce L.L.C.
Idaho Falls, ID – Potandon Produce L.L.C., the exclusive marketing agent for Pinto Creek Co., LLC in Eloy, Arizona, began potato shipments May 10th.
Early season growing conditions did delay this year’s crop, but did not impact quality. Red potatoes became available for shipping on the 10th, with yellows available May 14th. Potandon will also distribute Arizona potatoes from their Idaho Falls, Idaho cross-dock facility starting approximately May 18th.
Dick Thomas, Senior VP of Sales reported that overall acreage has remained fairly consistent with the last two years, with a slight increase in mini potato acres to meet additional demand.
Pinto Creek is a PRIMUS certified facility with a full-time Quality Assurance person on-site daily. The packing facility has seen steady improvement over the past decade with the addition of a new storage facility and modernized grading and sizing equipment. The Pinto Creek team commitment to excellence has elevated their status to one of the premier red and yellow potato packing sheds in the nation.
About Potandon Produce L.L.C.
Headquartered in Idaho Falls, Idaho, Potandon Produce is the largest marketer of fresh potatoes and one of the largest marketers of fresh onions in North America. Potandon holds the exclusive licensing rights to the Green Giant™ brand for fresh potatoes and onions in North America, and is able to provide year-round supply to any size retail, foodservice, or wholesale customer. Potandon is also an industry leader in food safety and in bringing innovative products to the market. Visit www.potandon.com to learn more about Potandon, and go to Potandon’s consumer website, www.klondikebrands.com, to learn more about the company’s distinctive potato varieties. To learn more about the Green Giant™ Fresh program visit www.greengiantfresh.com.
Green Giant, the Green Giant character, Sprout, and associated words and designs are trademarks of B&G Foods North America, Inc.-used under license. ©2016 B&G Foods North America, Inc.
by The Alliance for Food and Farming
Watsonville, CA – According to the USDA and the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sampling data, 99 percent of residues on fruits and vegetables, when present at all, are well below safety levels set by the Environmental Protection Agency.
FDA sampling shows that 50 percent of the foods sampled had no detectable residues at all. “In light of today’s “dirty dozen” list release, both government reports are good news for consumers and show that the “list” author’s contentions about residues and “dirty” produce are unfounded, unsupportable and, in fact, may be harming public health efforts to improve the diets of Americans,” says Teresa Thorne, Executive Director of the Alliance for Food and Farming.
Thorne says peer reviewed research published in Nutrition Today shows that inaccurate statements regarding “high” residues associated with the annual “dirty dozen” release resulted in low income consumers stating they would be less likely to purchase any produce – organic or conventionally grown. “For over two decades the authors of this list have inaccurately disparaged healthy and safe fruits and veggies to the detriment of consumers,” Thorne says. “Since a farmer’s first consumer is his or her own family, providing safe and wholesome food is always their priority. Consumers should be reassured by the farmers’ commitment to food safety and government reports that verify that safety year after year.” Among the additional USDA/FDA findings:
- Pesticide residues pose no risk of concern for infants and children.
- The results provide consumers confidence that the products they buy for their families are safe and wholesome.
Further, a peer reviewed study found that EWG’s suggested substitution of organic forms of produce for conventional forms did not result in any decrease in risk because residues on conventional produce are so minute, if present at all. The same study states that EWG did not follow any established scientific procedures in developing their list. There are decades of peer-reviewed nutrition studies which show the benefits of eating a diet rich in fruits and veggies on health, Thorne explains.
These studies were largely conducted using conventionally grown produce. Thorne adds that health experts universally agree that a plant rich diet is important for everyone, but especially for children, pregnant women or those wishing to become pregnant. “What I tell women routinely is all the data suggests you want to increase your intake (of fruits and vegetables) during pregnancy and for that matter before you even become pregnant to help optimize your chance of having a healthy child,” says Dr. Carl Keen,
Professor of Nutrition at the University of California, Davis whose research focuses on the influence of the maternal diet on the risk for pregnancy complications. For those struggling with infertility, A 2018 study in human reproduction found females under 35 undergoing in vitro fertilization had a 65 to 68 percemt increased chance of success with a stronger adherence to the Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes eating lots of fruits and veggies each day.
Further illustrating how low pesticide residues are, if present at all, an analysis by a toxicologist with the University of California’s Personal Chemical Exposure Program found that a child could literally eat hundreds to thousands of servings of a fruit or vegetable in a day and still not have any effects from pesticide residues. “For strawberries, a child could eat 181 servings or 1,448 strawberries in a day and still not have any effects from pesticide residues,” Thorne says. For consumers who may still have concerns, they should simply wash their fruits and vegetables. According to the FDA, you can reduce and often eliminate residues, if they are present at all, on fresh fruits and vegetables simply by washing. To learn more about the safety of all fruits and vegetables visitsafefruitsandveggies.com (Twitter and Facebook).
The Alliance for Food and Farming is a non-profit organization formed in 1989 which represents organic and conventional farmers and farms of all sizes. Alliance contributors are limited to farmers of fruits and vegetables, companies that sell, market or ship fruits and vegetables or organizations that represent produce farmers. Our mission is to deliver credible information about the safety of fruits and vegetables. The Alliance does not engage in any lobbying activities, nor do we accept any money or support from the pesticide industry.
A gift from the Alliance for Food and Farming (AFF) to the Illinois Institute of Technology, Center for Nutrition Research helped fund the research published in the peer review journal, Nutrition Today. However, the AFF was uninvolved in any facet of the study nor were we made aware of the study findings until after the paper was peer reviewed and accepted by the journal.