Author Archive
Normally light Florida produce shipments are much lighter this season due to excessive rains. If the weather trend continues it soon will be threatening the Florida spring shipping season that typically peaks in April and May.
Up to 8 inches of rain last week soaked fields of sweet corn, green beans, celery, radishes, leafy greens and other vegetables and flooded some areas, leaving crops underwater. Damage to crops is estimated to be 25 to 50 percent. Losses of crops and even lighter than normal shipments is a given. Now it’s a wait to see how bad the situation is.
The heavy rains mean vegetable shipments in general will probably be much lighter than usual through February and March. Belle Glade is the hub of Florida sweet corn and green bean shipments.
It’s been a crazy winter for produce shipments, not only in Florida, but elsewhere.
Mexican volume of bell peppers, strawberries and other items have been lowered by cold weather. California strawberry volume is down due to weather factors.
Meanwhile, Florida strawberry volume have suffered from heat; Florida avocado loadings are down due to a fruit fly quarantine; Florida tomatoes are off due to rains; Florida cabbage shipments are down as much as 40 percent from weather; Florida citrus volume is drastically off due to citrus greening disease.
Only one state is shipping more potatoes than Colorado right now, plus soaring shipments are possible for the new California avocado shipping season.
Colorado is averaging around 750 truck loads of potatoes being shipped weekly, second only to Idaho. Colorado’s San Luis Valley has remained relatively stable in recent years, with a 4-5 percent fluctuation depending on rotation of the crops.
In 2o15 plantings for the crop, which are now being shipped stood at 51,000 acres. Conventional spuds took up 47,000 acres, and organics accounted for 4,000 acres. Russets amounted to 38,540 acres in conventionals and 3,280 in organics. There were 2,820 acres in conventional red potatoes and 240 acres in organics. Yellows had 3,290 acres in conventional and 280 in organics. Specialty potatoes had 2,350 acres in conventional, 200 in organics.
Colorado has finally been getting decent rains and snow packs and looking ahead to the 2016 planting and growing seasons, a lot of people are optimistic there will be a good crop and shipments.
Colorado potato shipments grossing about $1700 to Dallas.
California Avocado Shipments
The upcoming California avocado crop is projected to be 392.5 million pounds, which amounts to a 40 percent increase in shipments from last year. Rains in California have certainly helped, plus the alternate-bearing nature of the trees is expected to have an effect on this year’s crop. The Hass variety, California’s main avocado variety, tends to have a heavy crop, followed by lighter volume the next season. During the last two years, California avocado shipments have been lighter and the trees are ready to produce again.
Shipments of California avocados start to build up in March with peak loadings occurring between April and August with availability into September and October.
Southern California, citrus, vegetables – grossing about $3700 to Dallas.
DALLAS – Building on the momentum generated last February, when it became the first fresh produce brand to broadcast an ad during the most-watched television program in the United States, Avocados From Mexico (AFM) is following up with another multi-dimensional campaign for the 2016 Super Bowl, airing on Sunday, February 7, on CBS.
The number-one selling avocado in the U.S. with more than 75 percent of the market, AFM plans to debut this years’ experience during the first break of the game. Last year’s AFM Big Game campaign, “First Draft Ever,” also created by GSD&M, included a TV spot, teaser and social media war room during the game, boosting attention with collaborative support from PR, social and digital media. AFM avocado consumption grew 35% in the 2014-2015 fiscal year, and the airing of “First Draft Ever” was a key element contributing to the growth percentage.
The humorous spot which depicted Mexico’s choice of the avocado during a pre-historic, football-styled “draft” of plants and animals, earned widespread acclaim and consumer engagement, which set the brand up for success and increased demand in the month of February, historically a slower month for avocado consumption. Because of their ability to successfully bring brands to life on a big stage, Austin-based advertising agency GSD&M was chosen once again for creative strategy and production of the Big Game multi-dimensional campaign for Avocados From Mexico.
As it did for 2015, Havas Media will be handling the buying and execution of the Big Game spot, along with supporting CBS properties to surround its debut. “Last year’s groundbreaking Big Game experience was an overwhelming success, as it showcased the origin of the number-one selling avocado in the U.S., taking brand awareness of Avocados From Mexico to the next level,” said Alvaro Luque, president of Avocados From Mexico.
In February 2015, AFM’s Big Game campaign was seen by more than 114 million U.S. viewers, and – coupled with social media and PR support – generated more than 1.6 billion earned and paid media impressions in one week. Engagement for all social media platforms was up 5,400 percent and #FirstDraftEver trended in 27 cities nationwide. “Last year, our Big Game ad and social media support helped fuel the growth of Avocados From Mexico to new heights, and we’re confident this year will do the same,” noted Luque. “More Americans than ever are embracing the many nutritional benefits of this “superfruit,” making this an ideal time to educate consumers that you can buy fresh Mexican avocados 365 days of the year
Avocados From Mexico (AFM) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Mexican Hass Avocado Importers Association (MHAIA), formed for the purpose of advertising, promotion, public relations and research for all stakeholders of Avocados From Mexico.
by American Heart Association
Researchers found that eating more fruits and vegetables as young adults was associated with less calcified coronary artery plaque 20 years later. Coronary artery calcium can be measured by a CT scan to detect the presence and amount of atherosclerosis, a disease that hardens arteries and underlies many types of heart disease.
The researchers divided data from 2,506 study participants into three groups, based on their daily fruit and vegetable consumption. Women in the top third ate an average of nearly nine servings of daily fruits and vegetables and men averaged more than seven daily servings. In the bottom third, women consumed an average 3.3 daily servings and men 2.6 daily servings. All servings were based on a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet.
Researchers found that people who ate the most fruit and vegetable at the study’s start had 26 percent lower odds of developing calcified plaque 20 years later, compared to those who ate the least amount of fruits and vegetables.
Previous studies have shown a strong association between eating more fruits and vegetables and reduction in heart disease risk among middle-age adults. However, this is the first study to examine whether eating more fruits and vegetables as young adults could produce a measurable improvement in the health of their heart and blood vessels years later.
“People shouldn’t assume that they can wait until they’re older to eat healthy—our study suggests that what you eat as a young adult may be as important as what you eat as an older adult, ” said lead author Michael D. Miedema, M.D., senior consulting cardiologist and clinical investigator at the Minneapolis Heart Institute, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Researchers studied health information from adults in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study, a government-funded study of black and white young adults, which started in 1985. At the study’s start, participants provided a detailed diet history, information on other lifestyle variables and cardiovascular risk factors such as blood pressure, whether or not they smoked cigarettes, weight and others. Twenty years later, participants underwent a CT scan to check for buildup of calcium on the walls of the arteries of the heart, which is calculated as a coronary artery calcium score. Higher coronary calcium scores are associated with a higher risk for heart attacks and other coronary heart disease events.
“Our findings support public health initiatives aimed at increasing fruit and vegetable intake as part of a healthy dietary pattern,” Miedema said. “Further research is needed to determine what other foods impact cardiovascular health in young adults.”
Imported fresh produce arriving at U.S. ports continues to grow in popularity. While most of it arrives by boat, virtually all of it is delivered to final destinations by trucks across North America.
Exotic and tropical fruits grown outside the U.S., such as mangoes, papayas and pineapples have contributed to an increase in fruit imports and increased popularity. Imported fresh fruits have increased just about 10 percent in the decade prior to 2001-2003.
However, the volume of fresh imported apples actually fell slightly between 2001-2003 and 2011-2013 because the U.S. apple industry was increasing volume and offering more apple varieties, particularly during the late season to compete against apple imports from the Southern Hemisphere.
The proportion of fresh pears supplied from imports also has fallen slightly in the last decade, but at 18 percent it is still more than twice that of fresh apples.
Foreign exporters of fresh apples, pears and sweet cherries have been improving the quality of their products to effectively compete against American grown produce.
However, U.S. producers haven’t been sitting on their laurels, making their own improvements. U.S. exporters of fresh apples have increased the volume of exports by 67 percent between 2001-2003 and 2011-2013 and the average price by 87 percent.
Pear exporters have increased volume by 16 percent and average prices by over 83 percent.
Sweet cherries differ from apples and pears in that virtually all imports come from the Southern Hemisphere (mainly Chile) in the winter months and do not overlap with the domestic shipping season. In that case, the U.S. has been able to expand both its exports and imports dramatically — exports by almost 100 percent and imports by over 70 percent.
Analysis suggests that U.S. fresh apples, pears and sweet cherries face little direct threat from foreign suppliers of their own products in the U.S. market.
The rising popularity of exotic and tropical fruits grown outside the U.S., such as mangoes, papayas and pineapples has contributed to an increase in fruit imports. On average, one-third of all fresh fruit consumed in the United States from 2011-2013 was imported. This represented an increase of over 10 percent in market share compared with a decade earlier, 2001-2003.
The share of fresh apples imported actually fell slightly between 2001-2003 and 2011-2013 as the U.S. apple industry has continued to expand the volume and diversity of apple varieties available in the late season to compete against apple imports from the Southern Hemisphere.
Port of Long Beach and Southern California produce – grossing about $3600 to Chicago.
Walnuts have 21 percent fewer calories than what is currently assigned to it by the USDA, according to a recent study.
One serving (1 ounce) of walnuts contains 146 calories, which is 39 calories less than the 185 calories assigned to the product, the USDA reports. Since late 19th century, the calorie value for the walnuts has been derived from the Atwater system that calculates the metabolisable energy of many foods.
The recent research discovered that the metabolisable energy of walnuts was 21 percent less than that established by the Atwater general factor system.
For the study, the USDA studied 18 healthy adults. Each participant was assigned randomly to follow two diet regimens: a controlled diet without walnuts, and a controlled diet with 1.5 servings (42g) of walnuts, each followed for a 3-week period.
Assigned diets to each participant, walnuts, fecal and urine samples were collected and calories were measured and this measurement was used to calculate the metabolisable energy of the walnuts.
“Our results could help explain why consumers of walnuts do not typically gain weight. And given the numerous potential health benefits of consuming walnuts, including reduced risk for cancer, cardiovascular and cognitive diseases, our results could potentially help alleviate any calorie-related concerns consumers might have with incorporating them into their everyday diet,” the USDA reported.
In earlier research too, it has been established that walnut provides benefits to health. Recently a study by researchers from the Life Sciences Research Organisation in the US showed that consuming two handfuls of walnuts daily could help stave off cardiovascular disease.
The study claimed that intake of about 60 grams of this tree nut everyday lowers total cholesterol levels in the body, thus cuts a person’s risk of heart attack.
Touted as the world’s healthiest food, walnut is a rich source of numerous important nutrients such as omega-3s, fibres, vitamins, protein and minerals as well as the heart-healthy monounsaturated fats.
El Nino is adversely affecting many produce shipments in North America.
Unseasonable heat brought on an early, heavier-than-normal shipments for the Florida strawberry season, which started before Thanksgiving and lasted through Christmas. Now strawberry shipments are in a lull and are not expected reach decent volume by Valentine’s Day, February 14th, which is a popular event for the fruit. Assuming shipments ever get on “normal” track this season, loadings should continue through March.
Changing weather patterns are impacting fruit and vegetable production across North and South America, and it is not just field-grown produce that is being affected.
The El Niño phenomenon has played a major role in the various weather patterns and is affecting production on all items ranging from beefsteak, cluster, heirloom and roma tomatoes as well as grape tomatoes, mini roma grape tomatoes and medley tomatoes. Additionally, there are long sweet peppers, mini sweet peppers, bell peppers, seedless cucumbers, mini seedless cucumbers and baby eggplant, among others.
Lower than normal temperatures in combination with lower light levels reduce yields across the board for greenhouse grown produce during the spring and summer out of Canada, and during the winter in Mexico.
Mexican vegetables through Nogales – grossing about $3000 to Chicago.
While weather related issues continue to adversely affect produce shipments around the country, keep your fingers crossed shipments are getting back towards a more normal track in the deserts of Arizona and California.
The unprecedented run of low shipments and shipping gaps appears to be over, with the possible exception of celery. This means higher volume and more consistent shipments of various types of lettuce, broccoli and cauliflower.
Since the week of January 11 it has been warmer and temperatures are in the mid- to high 40s for lows and the highs are in the high 60s to low 70s. Let’s hope the good desert weather continues.
Meanwhile, much of Central and Northern California have been hit with above-average rain since the beginning of the year, something the desert areas were spared for the most part.
Growers in the coastal California valleys (Santa Maria and Salinas), which will be shipping the majority of the nation’s vegetable crops in the spring are having a few problems getting into the fields to plant. The shift in lettuce production to Santa Maria typically occurs around April 1. Those fields harvested in April need to be planted this month. If the storms continue, that could be an issue.
There’s complaints about a lot of low produce freight rates now. Just look at the desert, which is grossing under $2 per mile.
Desert vegetable shipments – grossing about $5800 to New York City.
Nearly 60 percent of the fresh produce imported from Mexico crosses the City of Pharr (TX) International Bridge.
Being the only full service commercial bridge in the region, means more and better services, infrastructure and technology to get produce loads processed at point of entry, before being unloaded at one of dozens of warehouses in the area.
The Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge is one of the most important U.S.-Mexican border ports of entry and is experiencing phoenominal growth in traffic. No end to growth is in sight.
The City of Pharr has a project that is still in the design phase known as the Border Safety Inspection Facility Connector (BSIF). This project will allow certified companies, vetted by the federal government, along with empty trucks, to bypass the importation process. The goal is to be more efficient by reducing wait times and speed up the inspection process. The project is expected to be completed late this year.
Mondays and Fridays are the busiest, and most congested days, at the Pharr Bridge.
The Pharr Bridge ranks number one in volume for truck loads of avocados and number two in tomatoes for Mexican produce to be distributed mostly throughout the eastern half of the U.S. and Canada.
Due to the new Mazatlan-Matamoros super highway, also dubbed Supervía, travel for trucks hauling produce and entering the Pharr port of entry can save as much as 600 to 700 miles of travel when delivering to Midwest and eastern U.S. and Canadian markets. Connecting Mazatlán and Sinaloa, Mexico to Pharr, Texas, this new route for produce transportation provides a more direct route to receivers. It also saves $1000 to $3000 in fuel costs, depending on the price of diesel, and nearly 16 hours in travel time round-trip.
The state of Sinaloa is what some call the breadbasket of Mexico with about 70 to 80 percent of Mexican fruits and vegetables originating from this state. Pharr, Tx has seen a significant rise in the number of importers and brokers who are based in Arizona, but are opening satellite facilities in Texas.
Lower Rio Grande Valley citrus and Mexican produce crossing the border – grossing about $2400 to Atlanta.
Research has shown a rhubarb-based drug could help fight against cancer. According to this research, an orange-coloured chemical in rhubarb, parietin, has powerful anti-cancer properties.
Parietin can zap cells in leukaemia as well as lung, head and neck tumours, however healthy cells will remain untouched. This is significant as many of the debilitating side-effects of chemotherapy, from nausea to hair loss, are caused by healthy cells suffering collateral damage.
Scientists in the US found parietin after searching for chemicals that would block a protein called 6PGD which helps cancers grow. Scientists carried out an experiment which showed that parietin killed diseased cells taken from a patient with the blood cancer acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Half of the cancerous cells were destroyed within 48 hours.
Scientists from Emory University in Atlanta have shown it is possible to alter the chemistry of parietin to make an even more powerful compound. This drug slowed the growth of tumours that were growing on mice but were made up of human cells, but more work and tests are needed to confirm that the rhubarb-based drugs are free of side-effects.
Even though rhubarb is only just being discovered in Western medicine, the plant has been a staple of Chinese traditional medicine for centuries. It is claimed it can aid everything from digestion and acne to burns and appetite.
Normally light Florida produce shipments are much lighter this season due to excessive rains. If the weather trend continues it soon will be threatening the Florida spring shipping season that typically peaks in April and May.
Up to 8 inches of rain last week soaked fields of sweet corn, green beans, celery, radishes, leafy greens and other vegetables and flooded some areas, leaving crops underwater. Damage to crops is estimated to be 25 to 50 percent. Losses of crops and even lighter than normal shipments is a given. Now it’s a wait to see how bad the situation is.
The heavy rains mean vegetable shipments in general will probably be much lighter than usual through February and March. Belle Glade is the hub of Florida sweet corn and green bean shipments.
It’s been a crazy winter for produce shipments, not only in Florida, but elsewhere.
Mexican volume of bell peppers, strawberries and other items have been lowered by cold weather. California strawberry volume is down due to weather factors.
Meanwhile, Florida strawberry volume have suffered from heat; Florida avocado loadings are down due to a fruit fly quarantine; Florida tomatoes are off due to rains; Florida cabbage shipments are down as much as 40 percent from weather; Florida citrus volume is drastically off due to citrus greening disease.
Only one state is shipping more potatoes than Colorado right now, plus soaring shipments are possible for the new California avocado shipping season.
Colorado is averaging around 750 truck loads of potatoes being shipped weekly, second only to Idaho. Colorado’s San Luis Valley has remained relatively stable in recent years, with a 4-5 percent fluctuation depending on rotation of the crops.
In 2o15 plantings for the crop, which are now being shipped stood at 51,000 acres. Conventional spuds took up 47,000 acres, and organics accounted for 4,000 acres. Russets amounted to 38,540 acres in conventionals and 3,280 in organics. There were 2,820 acres in conventional red potatoes and 240 acres in organics. Yellows had 3,290 acres in conventional and 280 in organics. Specialty potatoes had 2,350 acres in conventional, 200 in organics.
Colorado has finally been getting decent rains and snow packs and looking ahead to the 2016 planting and growing seasons, a lot of people are optimistic there will be a good crop and shipments.
Colorado potato shipments grossing about $1700 to Dallas.
California Avocado Shipments
The upcoming California avocado crop is projected to be 392.5 million pounds, which amounts to a 40 percent increase in shipments from last year. Rains in California have certainly helped, plus the alternate-bearing nature of the trees is expected to have an effect on this year’s crop. The Hass variety, California’s main avocado variety, tends to have a heavy crop, followed by lighter volume the next season. During the last two years, California avocado shipments have been lighter and the trees are ready to produce again.
Shipments of California avocados start to build up in March with peak loadings occurring between April and August with availability into September and October.
Southern California, citrus, vegetables – grossing about $3700 to Dallas.
DALLAS – Building on the momentum generated last February, when it became the first fresh produce brand to broadcast an ad during the most-watched television program in the United States, Avocados From Mexico (AFM) is following up with another multi-dimensional campaign for the 2016 Super Bowl, airing on Sunday, February 7, on CBS.
The number-one selling avocado in the U.S. with more than 75 percent of the market, AFM plans to debut this years’ experience during the first break of the game. Last year’s AFM Big Game campaign, “First Draft Ever,” also created by GSD&M, included a TV spot, teaser and social media war room during the game, boosting attention with collaborative support from PR, social and digital media. AFM avocado consumption grew 35% in the 2014-2015 fiscal year, and the airing of “First Draft Ever” was a key element contributing to the growth percentage.
The humorous spot which depicted Mexico’s choice of the avocado during a pre-historic, football-styled “draft” of plants and animals, earned widespread acclaim and consumer engagement, which set the brand up for success and increased demand in the month of February, historically a slower month for avocado consumption. Because of their ability to successfully bring brands to life on a big stage, Austin-based advertising agency GSD&M was chosen once again for creative strategy and production of the Big Game multi-dimensional campaign for Avocados From Mexico.
As it did for 2015, Havas Media will be handling the buying and execution of the Big Game spot, along with supporting CBS properties to surround its debut. “Last year’s groundbreaking Big Game experience was an overwhelming success, as it showcased the origin of the number-one selling avocado in the U.S., taking brand awareness of Avocados From Mexico to the next level,” said Alvaro Luque, president of Avocados From Mexico.
In February 2015, AFM’s Big Game campaign was seen by more than 114 million U.S. viewers, and – coupled with social media and PR support – generated more than 1.6 billion earned and paid media impressions in one week. Engagement for all social media platforms was up 5,400 percent and #FirstDraftEver trended in 27 cities nationwide. “Last year, our Big Game ad and social media support helped fuel the growth of Avocados From Mexico to new heights, and we’re confident this year will do the same,” noted Luque. “More Americans than ever are embracing the many nutritional benefits of this “superfruit,” making this an ideal time to educate consumers that you can buy fresh Mexican avocados 365 days of the year
Avocados From Mexico (AFM) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Mexican Hass Avocado Importers Association (MHAIA), formed for the purpose of advertising, promotion, public relations and research for all stakeholders of Avocados From Mexico.
by American Heart Association
Researchers found that eating more fruits and vegetables as young adults was associated with less calcified coronary artery plaque 20 years later. Coronary artery calcium can be measured by a CT scan to detect the presence and amount of atherosclerosis, a disease that hardens arteries and underlies many types of heart disease.
The researchers divided data from 2,506 study participants into three groups, based on their daily fruit and vegetable consumption. Women in the top third ate an average of nearly nine servings of daily fruits and vegetables and men averaged more than seven daily servings. In the bottom third, women consumed an average 3.3 daily servings and men 2.6 daily servings. All servings were based on a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet.
Researchers found that people who ate the most fruit and vegetable at the study’s start had 26 percent lower odds of developing calcified plaque 20 years later, compared to those who ate the least amount of fruits and vegetables.
Previous studies have shown a strong association between eating more fruits and vegetables and reduction in heart disease risk among middle-age adults. However, this is the first study to examine whether eating more fruits and vegetables as young adults could produce a measurable improvement in the health of their heart and blood vessels years later.
“People shouldn’t assume that they can wait until they’re older to eat healthy—our study suggests that what you eat as a young adult may be as important as what you eat as an older adult, ” said lead author Michael D. Miedema, M.D., senior consulting cardiologist and clinical investigator at the Minneapolis Heart Institute, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Researchers studied health information from adults in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study, a government-funded study of black and white young adults, which started in 1985. At the study’s start, participants provided a detailed diet history, information on other lifestyle variables and cardiovascular risk factors such as blood pressure, whether or not they smoked cigarettes, weight and others. Twenty years later, participants underwent a CT scan to check for buildup of calcium on the walls of the arteries of the heart, which is calculated as a coronary artery calcium score. Higher coronary calcium scores are associated with a higher risk for heart attacks and other coronary heart disease events.
“Our findings support public health initiatives aimed at increasing fruit and vegetable intake as part of a healthy dietary pattern,” Miedema said. “Further research is needed to determine what other foods impact cardiovascular health in young adults.”
Imported fresh produce arriving at U.S. ports continues to grow in popularity. While most of it arrives by boat, virtually all of it is delivered to final destinations by trucks across North America.
Exotic and tropical fruits grown outside the U.S., such as mangoes, papayas and pineapples have contributed to an increase in fruit imports and increased popularity. Imported fresh fruits have increased just about 10 percent in the decade prior to 2001-2003.
However, the volume of fresh imported apples actually fell slightly between 2001-2003 and 2011-2013 because the U.S. apple industry was increasing volume and offering more apple varieties, particularly during the late season to compete against apple imports from the Southern Hemisphere.
The proportion of fresh pears supplied from imports also has fallen slightly in the last decade, but at 18 percent it is still more than twice that of fresh apples.
Foreign exporters of fresh apples, pears and sweet cherries have been improving the quality of their products to effectively compete against American grown produce.
However, U.S. producers haven’t been sitting on their laurels, making their own improvements. U.S. exporters of fresh apples have increased the volume of exports by 67 percent between 2001-2003 and 2011-2013 and the average price by 87 percent.
Pear exporters have increased volume by 16 percent and average prices by over 83 percent.
Sweet cherries differ from apples and pears in that virtually all imports come from the Southern Hemisphere (mainly Chile) in the winter months and do not overlap with the domestic shipping season. In that case, the U.S. has been able to expand both its exports and imports dramatically — exports by almost 100 percent and imports by over 70 percent.
Analysis suggests that U.S. fresh apples, pears and sweet cherries face little direct threat from foreign suppliers of their own products in the U.S. market.
The rising popularity of exotic and tropical fruits grown outside the U.S., such as mangoes, papayas and pineapples has contributed to an increase in fruit imports. On average, one-third of all fresh fruit consumed in the United States from 2011-2013 was imported. This represented an increase of over 10 percent in market share compared with a decade earlier, 2001-2003.
The share of fresh apples imported actually fell slightly between 2001-2003 and 2011-2013 as the U.S. apple industry has continued to expand the volume and diversity of apple varieties available in the late season to compete against apple imports from the Southern Hemisphere.
Port of Long Beach and Southern California produce – grossing about $3600 to Chicago.
Walnuts have 21 percent fewer calories than what is currently assigned to it by the USDA, according to a recent study.
One serving (1 ounce) of walnuts contains 146 calories, which is 39 calories less than the 185 calories assigned to the product, the USDA reports. Since late 19th century, the calorie value for the walnuts has been derived from the Atwater system that calculates the metabolisable energy of many foods.
The recent research discovered that the metabolisable energy of walnuts was 21 percent less than that established by the Atwater general factor system.
For the study, the USDA studied 18 healthy adults. Each participant was assigned randomly to follow two diet regimens: a controlled diet without walnuts, and a controlled diet with 1.5 servings (42g) of walnuts, each followed for a 3-week period.
Assigned diets to each participant, walnuts, fecal and urine samples were collected and calories were measured and this measurement was used to calculate the metabolisable energy of the walnuts.
“Our results could help explain why consumers of walnuts do not typically gain weight. And given the numerous potential health benefits of consuming walnuts, including reduced risk for cancer, cardiovascular and cognitive diseases, our results could potentially help alleviate any calorie-related concerns consumers might have with incorporating them into their everyday diet,” the USDA reported.
In earlier research too, it has been established that walnut provides benefits to health. Recently a study by researchers from the Life Sciences Research Organisation in the US showed that consuming two handfuls of walnuts daily could help stave off cardiovascular disease.
The study claimed that intake of about 60 grams of this tree nut everyday lowers total cholesterol levels in the body, thus cuts a person’s risk of heart attack.
Touted as the world’s healthiest food, walnut is a rich source of numerous important nutrients such as omega-3s, fibres, vitamins, protein and minerals as well as the heart-healthy monounsaturated fats.
El Nino is adversely affecting many produce shipments in North America.
Unseasonable heat brought on an early, heavier-than-normal shipments for the Florida strawberry season, which started before Thanksgiving and lasted through Christmas. Now strawberry shipments are in a lull and are not expected reach decent volume by Valentine’s Day, February 14th, which is a popular event for the fruit. Assuming shipments ever get on “normal” track this season, loadings should continue through March.
Changing weather patterns are impacting fruit and vegetable production across North and South America, and it is not just field-grown produce that is being affected.
The El Niño phenomenon has played a major role in the various weather patterns and is affecting production on all items ranging from beefsteak, cluster, heirloom and roma tomatoes as well as grape tomatoes, mini roma grape tomatoes and medley tomatoes. Additionally, there are long sweet peppers, mini sweet peppers, bell peppers, seedless cucumbers, mini seedless cucumbers and baby eggplant, among others.
Lower than normal temperatures in combination with lower light levels reduce yields across the board for greenhouse grown produce during the spring and summer out of Canada, and during the winter in Mexico.
Mexican vegetables through Nogales – grossing about $3000 to Chicago.
While weather related issues continue to adversely affect produce shipments around the country, keep your fingers crossed shipments are getting back towards a more normal track in the deserts of Arizona and California.
The unprecedented run of low shipments and shipping gaps appears to be over, with the possible exception of celery. This means higher volume and more consistent shipments of various types of lettuce, broccoli and cauliflower.
Since the week of January 11 it has been warmer and temperatures are in the mid- to high 40s for lows and the highs are in the high 60s to low 70s. Let’s hope the good desert weather continues.
Meanwhile, much of Central and Northern California have been hit with above-average rain since the beginning of the year, something the desert areas were spared for the most part.
Growers in the coastal California valleys (Santa Maria and Salinas), which will be shipping the majority of the nation’s vegetable crops in the spring are having a few problems getting into the fields to plant. The shift in lettuce production to Santa Maria typically occurs around April 1. Those fields harvested in April need to be planted this month. If the storms continue, that could be an issue.
There’s complaints about a lot of low produce freight rates now. Just look at the desert, which is grossing under $2 per mile.
Desert vegetable shipments – grossing about $5800 to New York City.
Nearly 60 percent of the fresh produce imported from Mexico crosses the City of Pharr (TX) International Bridge.
Being the only full service commercial bridge in the region, means more and better services, infrastructure and technology to get produce loads processed at point of entry, before being unloaded at one of dozens of warehouses in the area.
The Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge is one of the most important U.S.-Mexican border ports of entry and is experiencing phoenominal growth in traffic. No end to growth is in sight.
The City of Pharr has a project that is still in the design phase known as the Border Safety Inspection Facility Connector (BSIF). This project will allow certified companies, vetted by the federal government, along with empty trucks, to bypass the importation process. The goal is to be more efficient by reducing wait times and speed up the inspection process. The project is expected to be completed late this year.
Mondays and Fridays are the busiest, and most congested days, at the Pharr Bridge.
The Pharr Bridge ranks number one in volume for truck loads of avocados and number two in tomatoes for Mexican produce to be distributed mostly throughout the eastern half of the U.S. and Canada.
Due to the new Mazatlan-Matamoros super highway, also dubbed Supervía, travel for trucks hauling produce and entering the Pharr port of entry can save as much as 600 to 700 miles of travel when delivering to Midwest and eastern U.S. and Canadian markets. Connecting Mazatlán and Sinaloa, Mexico to Pharr, Texas, this new route for produce transportation provides a more direct route to receivers. It also saves $1000 to $3000 in fuel costs, depending on the price of diesel, and nearly 16 hours in travel time round-trip.
The state of Sinaloa is what some call the breadbasket of Mexico with about 70 to 80 percent of Mexican fruits and vegetables originating from this state. Pharr, Tx has seen a significant rise in the number of importers and brokers who are based in Arizona, but are opening satellite facilities in Texas.
Lower Rio Grande Valley citrus and Mexican produce crossing the border – grossing about $2400 to Atlanta.
Research has shown a rhubarb-based drug could help fight against cancer. According to this research, an orange-coloured chemical in rhubarb, parietin, has powerful anti-cancer properties.
Parietin can zap cells in leukaemia as well as lung, head and neck tumours, however healthy cells will remain untouched. This is significant as many of the debilitating side-effects of chemotherapy, from nausea to hair loss, are caused by healthy cells suffering collateral damage.
Scientists in the US found parietin after searching for chemicals that would block a protein called 6PGD which helps cancers grow. Scientists carried out an experiment which showed that parietin killed diseased cells taken from a patient with the blood cancer acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Half of the cancerous cells were destroyed within 48 hours.
Scientists from Emory University in Atlanta have shown it is possible to alter the chemistry of parietin to make an even more powerful compound. This drug slowed the growth of tumours that were growing on mice but were made up of human cells, but more work and tests are needed to confirm that the rhubarb-based drugs are free of side-effects.
Even though rhubarb is only just being discovered in Western medicine, the plant has been a staple of Chinese traditional medicine for centuries. It is claimed it can aid everything from digestion and acne to burns and appetite.