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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Compounds found in purple potatoes may help kill colon cancer stem cells and limit the spread of the cancer, according to a team of researchers.
Baked purple-fleshed potatoes suppressed the growth of colon cancer tumors in petri dishes and in mice by targeting the cancer’s stem cells. Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S. and responsible for more than 50,000 deaths annually, according to the American Cancer Society.
Attacking stem cells is an effective way to counter cancer, according to Jairam K.P. Vanamala, associate professor of food sciences, Penn State and faculty member at the Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute.
“You might want to compare cancer stem cells to roots of the weeds,” Vanamala said. “You may cut the weed, but as long as the roots are still there, the weeds will keep growing back and, likewise, if the cancer stem cells are still present, the cancer can still grow and spread.”
REEDLY, CA – Youngstown Distributors is offering consumers even more reasons to say, “I love pomegranates” with new additions to their pomegranate product line. Their organic and conventional pomegranate arils have new packages ranging in convenient sizes that customers are sure to love!
Organic pomegranate arils are now available and packed in 16 oz., 8 oz., 5.3 oz. and 4.4 oz. packages. Consumers will be able to enjoy the nutrition, along with the flavor that the fresh organic arils have to offer, by simply opening the package and adding to their favorite recipe or eating by the handful.
New conventional arils are also available in cups, offered in 4.4 oz. and 2 oz. sizes and sold as individual cups or 4-packs. These cups are perfect for children and adult lunches, on-the-go consumers looking for a healthy alternative to traditional snacks, or as a flavorful addition to any meal.
“Pomegranates are more popular than ever, and our new aril products help meet that demand,” says Youngstown Distributors’ President, Mike Forrest. “Consumers are looking for convenience and nutrition; these new package options, offer both to consumers without having to sacrifice nutrition for convenience.”
Youngstown Distributors also offers whole pomegranates, and they are currently supplying Early Wonderful variety fruit from California. Product availability for Wonderful variety whole pomegranates will begin soon, starting in October and continuing through April. Learn more about all of Youngstown Distributors’ product offerings, by visiting them at PMA booth 2111.
About Youngstown Distributors
Youngstown Distributors is a year-round supplier of whole pomegranates and pomegranate arils along with California Stone Fruit. They value their strategic partnerships, which allow them to supply high quality product year-round.
Sweet potato production is surging in the United States, according to a an article issued by the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
“U.S. sweet potato production has increased substantially over the last 15 years,” the authors wrote. “In 2000, total U.S. production was 13.8 million hundredweight and close to the 10-year (1990-99) average of 12.42 million hundredweight. In subsequent seasons, sweet potato production increased by an average of 6.1 percent per season, ultimately resulting in record high production (29.6 million hundredweight) for the 2014 marketing year.”
While sweet potatoes are grown across the United States, the authors said, “They are best suited for cultivation in southern states which have warmer climates and longer frost-free growing seasons relative to other regions of the United States. In particular, North Carolina’s climate and soil conditions are ideal for sweet potato production. Since 1971, this state has been the No. 1 sweet potato producer and, in 2014, North Carolina produced 53 percent of all sweet potatoes grown in the country.”
North Carolina’s industry grew 185 percent over the past 15 years, buoying the domestic industry. “However, other states make significant contributions and have also experienced gains. Over the same 15-year period, California production has increased by nearly 100 percent; Mississippi’s production has increased by 155 percent,” the report stated. These two states accounted for 30 percent of domestic sweet potato production in 2014.
North Carolina, California, Mississippi and Louisiana accounted for 91 percent of aggregate sweet potato production, and the authors attributed increases to gains in yield and area harvested. “North Carolina leads the nation in area harvested and total production; however, California typically posts the highest average yields,” the report stated. “In 2014, California producers harvested an average of 275 hundredweight per acre; in North Carolina farmers realized 220 hundredweight per acre.”
A new report claims that over 14,000 U.S. farms grew organic produce and other agricultural products in 2012.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistic Service’s 2014 Organic Survey, recently released, analyzes data from the 2012 Census of Agriculture. About 3.7 million acres of land had organic products in 2012, 687,000 of them in industry leader California.
Of the 14,093 certified or exempt U.S. farms, 2,805 were in California.
The value of U.S. organic agricultural products in 2012 was $5.5 billion, according to the report. California accounted for about $2.2 billion of that total. About 164,403 acres of organic vegetables, potatoes and melons worth $1.25 billion were harvested in 2012.
Organic grape production totaled 98,805 tons and was worth about $188 million. About 563 million pounds of organic apples, worth $250 million, were produced in 2012. In the “other fruit, nuts and berries” category, about 3,523 farms produced $579 million worth of product in 2012.
They may not necessarily be truck loads, but at least partial loads should be available in a number of Eastern produce shipping areas, ranging from the deep south, to New York and Michigan.
Georgia Produce Shipments
Southern Georgia should ship around 110-120 million pounds of pecans this year, making it one of the best seasons in the last three years. Georgia is No.1 in U.S pecan shipments…..Elsewhere in South Georgia are a number of vegetables being shipped, but it is light volume with only partial loads available. For example, about 75 truck load equivalents of beans are being loaded weekly. There also is light, but increasing volume with items ranging from peppers to eggplant and greens.
North Carolina Produce Shipments
Eastern North Carolina sweet potato shipments are currently your best bet in the Tar Heel state. About 250 truck loads per week are being loaded….Meanwhile the cabbage harvest has just started, with very light loadings just getting underway.
North Carolina sweet potatoes – grossing about $2500 to New York City.
New York Produce Shipments
The Hudson Valley provides the majority of apple shipments, although there is lighter volume from other parts of the state including central and western New York. All total, New York apple shipments are averaging a little over 300 truck loads per week….Cabbage shipments from central and western areas are averaging about 225 truck loads weekly. Storage onions, primarily from Orange County, are amounting to around 150 truck loads per week.
New York cabbage – grossing about $1200 to Boston.
Michigan Produce Shipments
Not much going on here. Your best bet is with apples, primarily from the Grand Rapids area. Michigan is averaging about 250 truck loads weekly. There also very light volume with storage onions.
Michigan apples – grossing about $3400 to Orlando.
Here’s a look at loading opportunities for California kiwifruit, as well as imported kiwi and blueberries.
If you’re looking for California kiwifruit shipments, loadings are purposely being delayed. The reason is imported Chilean kiwi is still in the pipeline. California shippers are holding off for the end of the Chilean season so prices will improve. California volumes will probably be down about 10 percent this season, but there will still be plenty of product. Look for good California loading opportunities to start by late November.
Meanwhile, imported Italian kiwifruit should start shipping in volume on the East Coast by late November. Italian kiwifruit shipments to the U.S. are expected to be about 10 percent higher than last season. Imported New Zealand kiwi will be available through November.
Southern California kiwi, citrus and vegetables – grossing about $6400 to New York City.
Argentina Blueberry Imports
Frost in Argentina affected blueberry production, so imports of Argentine berries have been light in the United States. Argentina blueberry imports are now increasing, but have been off by as much as 60 percent due to cold weather and rain in South America and will remain lighter than normal for weeks to come. Arrivals by boat are occurring on both coasts.
Here’s a national produce shipping round up ranging from both domestic and imported onions, to South Texas and imported Mexican items, to Western U.S. vegetable shipments.
Caution is recommended for hauling onions out of the Northwest, including Idaho, Oregon and Washington. Weather problems earlier in the year are being blamed.
Meanwhile, quality apparently is much better for onion shipments out of Utah and Colorado. Loadings involve red, white and yellow storage onions. Northeast Colorado onion shipments will continue through the end of the year and Utah onion shipments will be available into February.
Imported Peruvian sweet onions continues, with the heaviest volume being available through Thanksgiving. Lighter volume imports of onions from Peru will continue into February.
Western Idaho and Malheur County, Oregon onions – grossing about $3400 to Dallas.
Columbia Basin, Washington, potatoes and onions – grossing about $4200 to Chicago.
South Texas Produce Shipments
Texas grapefruit shipments and Texas orange shipments from the Lower Rio Grande Valley got underway a couple of weeks ago and are moving into steady volume. Total volume this season is expected to be about normal. There also are numerous items from Mexico crossing the border into Pharr, TX. There’s over 600 truck loads of avocados and nearly 400 truck loads of limes crossing the border weekly. There ‘s also lesser amounts of lemons and other items.
South Texas citrus and imported Mexican tropical fruit – grossing about $2500 to Chicago, $3900 to New York City.
KALE SHIPMENTS
The trendy vegetable item kale will continue to be shipped from the Salinas Valley, while loadings out of Yuma, AZ will start in mid November, along with several other desert vegetable shipments such as lettuce.
Grapefruit consumption has declined, according to USDA data.
While consumers haven’t completely abandoned grapefruit, as of 2013, Americans ate just over 2.5 pounds of fresh, pulpy citrus on average each year.
In 1976, at the height of America’s love for grapefruit, few fruits were more popular. The average American citizen ate almost 25 pounds of grapefruit each year. Since then, however, fresh grapefruit consumption has plunged by 70 percent, and total grapefruit consumption, which includes the processed kind often used for juice, has tumbled by almost 80 percent.
Grapefruits are likely falling victim to the growing demand for convenience in the United States. Americans want foods that are fast and easy, fruits that can be eaten with a single hand.
It’s not a convenient fruit eat, especially when people can grab a banana, an apple, and head out the door.
USDA data show that this is, in many ways, true. Americans eat almost 40 percent more fresh fruit that they did some 40 years ago. Bananas, in particular, have grown in popularity over the years, with consumption being over 60 percent greater per person than it was in the 1970s.
Nothing, however, has been more detrimental to America’s ability to enjoy grapefruits over the years than an insect-borne disease called citrus greening, which has ravaged production. The disease, which first crept into Florida, where some three-quarters of all grapefruits are grown in the country, in the early 2000s, has turned grapefruit farming into a nightmare.
Grapefruits, which are typically among the cheapest citrus, have gotten more expensive over the years. And higher prices have meant even lower demand.
For the first time in about a decade, total North American blueberry shipments in 2015 were lower, according to preliminary estimates.
The crop was down 22 million pounds from last year’s 744.8 million pounds. The final numbers would be released in March.
The only regions that grew in volume were the western U.S. and Mexico. The rest of the United States and Canada saw comparable or smaller blueberry shipments.
The biggest drop in volume for any region was in Michigan, which had a rough year due to weather, and the states of Georgia and New Jersey were moderately down. British Columbia remained the largest producing region on the continent and experienced flat figures this year. Meanwhile, Washington State saw the largest increase as the U.S.’s leading blueberry state.
Elsewhere, California and Oregon saw only minimal increases and Mexico registered a gradual increase. However, Mexican production was still relatively small, and will have less than 30 million pounds of blueberries. Weather was a major factor for the decline, while labor was also an issue in many areas. North American blueberry shippers have been growing at 80-100 million pounds a year for a number of years, so perhaps a decline was over due.
There is a 2.3% decline in retail fresh vegetable availability — what’s displayed on store shelves — but a 3.5% increase for fresh fruit in 2013, newly updated per capita availability statistics show.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service reported figures for fresh produce in a recent report. The report said that loss-adjusted U.S. fruit and vegetable availability falls well short of dietary guidelines, with per-capita availability of fruit totaling just 43 percent of dietary recommendations.
Per-capita availability of fresh vegetables are representing 66 percent of U.S. dietary recommendations, according to the report. In contrast, per-capita availability of meat was 131 percent of recommendations, with per-capita availability for grains 112 percent of recommended levels, according to the USDA.
Fresh fruit availability, adjusted for loss at all levels including in consumers’ homes, was projected to be 50.4 pounds per capita, up 3.5 percent from 2012 and 8percent higher than in 2003. For fresh vegetables, the loss-adjusted per-capita was 83.7 pounds, down 2.3 percent from 2012, and down 12 [percent from 2003.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Compounds found in purple potatoes may help kill colon cancer stem cells and limit the spread of the cancer, according to a team of researchers.
Baked purple-fleshed potatoes suppressed the growth of colon cancer tumors in petri dishes and in mice by targeting the cancer’s stem cells. Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S. and responsible for more than 50,000 deaths annually, according to the American Cancer Society.
Attacking stem cells is an effective way to counter cancer, according to Jairam K.P. Vanamala, associate professor of food sciences, Penn State and faculty member at the Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute.
“You might want to compare cancer stem cells to roots of the weeds,” Vanamala said. “You may cut the weed, but as long as the roots are still there, the weeds will keep growing back and, likewise, if the cancer stem cells are still present, the cancer can still grow and spread.”
REEDLY, CA – Youngstown Distributors is offering consumers even more reasons to say, “I love pomegranates” with new additions to their pomegranate product line. Their organic and conventional pomegranate arils have new packages ranging in convenient sizes that customers are sure to love!
Organic pomegranate arils are now available and packed in 16 oz., 8 oz., 5.3 oz. and 4.4 oz. packages. Consumers will be able to enjoy the nutrition, along with the flavor that the fresh organic arils have to offer, by simply opening the package and adding to their favorite recipe or eating by the handful.
New conventional arils are also available in cups, offered in 4.4 oz. and 2 oz. sizes and sold as individual cups or 4-packs. These cups are perfect for children and adult lunches, on-the-go consumers looking for a healthy alternative to traditional snacks, or as a flavorful addition to any meal.
“Pomegranates are more popular than ever, and our new aril products help meet that demand,” says Youngstown Distributors’ President, Mike Forrest. “Consumers are looking for convenience and nutrition; these new package options, offer both to consumers without having to sacrifice nutrition for convenience.”
Youngstown Distributors also offers whole pomegranates, and they are currently supplying Early Wonderful variety fruit from California. Product availability for Wonderful variety whole pomegranates will begin soon, starting in October and continuing through April. Learn more about all of Youngstown Distributors’ product offerings, by visiting them at PMA booth 2111.
About Youngstown Distributors
Youngstown Distributors is a year-round supplier of whole pomegranates and pomegranate arils along with California Stone Fruit. They value their strategic partnerships, which allow them to supply high quality product year-round.
Sweet potato production is surging in the United States, according to a an article issued by the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
“U.S. sweet potato production has increased substantially over the last 15 years,” the authors wrote. “In 2000, total U.S. production was 13.8 million hundredweight and close to the 10-year (1990-99) average of 12.42 million hundredweight. In subsequent seasons, sweet potato production increased by an average of 6.1 percent per season, ultimately resulting in record high production (29.6 million hundredweight) for the 2014 marketing year.”
While sweet potatoes are grown across the United States, the authors said, “They are best suited for cultivation in southern states which have warmer climates and longer frost-free growing seasons relative to other regions of the United States. In particular, North Carolina’s climate and soil conditions are ideal for sweet potato production. Since 1971, this state has been the No. 1 sweet potato producer and, in 2014, North Carolina produced 53 percent of all sweet potatoes grown in the country.”
North Carolina’s industry grew 185 percent over the past 15 years, buoying the domestic industry. “However, other states make significant contributions and have also experienced gains. Over the same 15-year period, California production has increased by nearly 100 percent; Mississippi’s production has increased by 155 percent,” the report stated. These two states accounted for 30 percent of domestic sweet potato production in 2014.
North Carolina, California, Mississippi and Louisiana accounted for 91 percent of aggregate sweet potato production, and the authors attributed increases to gains in yield and area harvested. “North Carolina leads the nation in area harvested and total production; however, California typically posts the highest average yields,” the report stated. “In 2014, California producers harvested an average of 275 hundredweight per acre; in North Carolina farmers realized 220 hundredweight per acre.”
A new report claims that over 14,000 U.S. farms grew organic produce and other agricultural products in 2012.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistic Service’s 2014 Organic Survey, recently released, analyzes data from the 2012 Census of Agriculture. About 3.7 million acres of land had organic products in 2012, 687,000 of them in industry leader California.
Of the 14,093 certified or exempt U.S. farms, 2,805 were in California.
The value of U.S. organic agricultural products in 2012 was $5.5 billion, according to the report. California accounted for about $2.2 billion of that total. About 164,403 acres of organic vegetables, potatoes and melons worth $1.25 billion were harvested in 2012.
Organic grape production totaled 98,805 tons and was worth about $188 million. About 563 million pounds of organic apples, worth $250 million, were produced in 2012. In the “other fruit, nuts and berries” category, about 3,523 farms produced $579 million worth of product in 2012.
They may not necessarily be truck loads, but at least partial loads should be available in a number of Eastern produce shipping areas, ranging from the deep south, to New York and Michigan.
Georgia Produce Shipments
Southern Georgia should ship around 110-120 million pounds of pecans this year, making it one of the best seasons in the last three years. Georgia is No.1 in U.S pecan shipments…..Elsewhere in South Georgia are a number of vegetables being shipped, but it is light volume with only partial loads available. For example, about 75 truck load equivalents of beans are being loaded weekly. There also is light, but increasing volume with items ranging from peppers to eggplant and greens.
North Carolina Produce Shipments
Eastern North Carolina sweet potato shipments are currently your best bet in the Tar Heel state. About 250 truck loads per week are being loaded….Meanwhile the cabbage harvest has just started, with very light loadings just getting underway.
North Carolina sweet potatoes – grossing about $2500 to New York City.
New York Produce Shipments
The Hudson Valley provides the majority of apple shipments, although there is lighter volume from other parts of the state including central and western New York. All total, New York apple shipments are averaging a little over 300 truck loads per week….Cabbage shipments from central and western areas are averaging about 225 truck loads weekly. Storage onions, primarily from Orange County, are amounting to around 150 truck loads per week.
New York cabbage – grossing about $1200 to Boston.
Michigan Produce Shipments
Not much going on here. Your best bet is with apples, primarily from the Grand Rapids area. Michigan is averaging about 250 truck loads weekly. There also very light volume with storage onions.
Michigan apples – grossing about $3400 to Orlando.
Here’s a look at loading opportunities for California kiwifruit, as well as imported kiwi and blueberries.
If you’re looking for California kiwifruit shipments, loadings are purposely being delayed. The reason is imported Chilean kiwi is still in the pipeline. California shippers are holding off for the end of the Chilean season so prices will improve. California volumes will probably be down about 10 percent this season, but there will still be plenty of product. Look for good California loading opportunities to start by late November.
Meanwhile, imported Italian kiwifruit should start shipping in volume on the East Coast by late November. Italian kiwifruit shipments to the U.S. are expected to be about 10 percent higher than last season. Imported New Zealand kiwi will be available through November.
Southern California kiwi, citrus and vegetables – grossing about $6400 to New York City.
Argentina Blueberry Imports
Frost in Argentina affected blueberry production, so imports of Argentine berries have been light in the United States. Argentina blueberry imports are now increasing, but have been off by as much as 60 percent due to cold weather and rain in South America and will remain lighter than normal for weeks to come. Arrivals by boat are occurring on both coasts.
Here’s a national produce shipping round up ranging from both domestic and imported onions, to South Texas and imported Mexican items, to Western U.S. vegetable shipments.
Caution is recommended for hauling onions out of the Northwest, including Idaho, Oregon and Washington. Weather problems earlier in the year are being blamed.
Meanwhile, quality apparently is much better for onion shipments out of Utah and Colorado. Loadings involve red, white and yellow storage onions. Northeast Colorado onion shipments will continue through the end of the year and Utah onion shipments will be available into February.
Imported Peruvian sweet onions continues, with the heaviest volume being available through Thanksgiving. Lighter volume imports of onions from Peru will continue into February.
Western Idaho and Malheur County, Oregon onions – grossing about $3400 to Dallas.
Columbia Basin, Washington, potatoes and onions – grossing about $4200 to Chicago.
South Texas Produce Shipments
Texas grapefruit shipments and Texas orange shipments from the Lower Rio Grande Valley got underway a couple of weeks ago and are moving into steady volume. Total volume this season is expected to be about normal. There also are numerous items from Mexico crossing the border into Pharr, TX. There’s over 600 truck loads of avocados and nearly 400 truck loads of limes crossing the border weekly. There ‘s also lesser amounts of lemons and other items.
South Texas citrus and imported Mexican tropical fruit – grossing about $2500 to Chicago, $3900 to New York City.
KALE SHIPMENTS
The trendy vegetable item kale will continue to be shipped from the Salinas Valley, while loadings out of Yuma, AZ will start in mid November, along with several other desert vegetable shipments such as lettuce.
Grapefruit consumption has declined, according to USDA data.
While consumers haven’t completely abandoned grapefruit, as of 2013, Americans ate just over 2.5 pounds of fresh, pulpy citrus on average each year.
In 1976, at the height of America’s love for grapefruit, few fruits were more popular. The average American citizen ate almost 25 pounds of grapefruit each year. Since then, however, fresh grapefruit consumption has plunged by 70 percent, and total grapefruit consumption, which includes the processed kind often used for juice, has tumbled by almost 80 percent.
Grapefruits are likely falling victim to the growing demand for convenience in the United States. Americans want foods that are fast and easy, fruits that can be eaten with a single hand.
It’s not a convenient fruit eat, especially when people can grab a banana, an apple, and head out the door.
USDA data show that this is, in many ways, true. Americans eat almost 40 percent more fresh fruit that they did some 40 years ago. Bananas, in particular, have grown in popularity over the years, with consumption being over 60 percent greater per person than it was in the 1970s.
Nothing, however, has been more detrimental to America’s ability to enjoy grapefruits over the years than an insect-borne disease called citrus greening, which has ravaged production. The disease, which first crept into Florida, where some three-quarters of all grapefruits are grown in the country, in the early 2000s, has turned grapefruit farming into a nightmare.
Grapefruits, which are typically among the cheapest citrus, have gotten more expensive over the years. And higher prices have meant even lower demand.
For the first time in about a decade, total North American blueberry shipments in 2015 were lower, according to preliminary estimates.
The crop was down 22 million pounds from last year’s 744.8 million pounds. The final numbers would be released in March.
The only regions that grew in volume were the western U.S. and Mexico. The rest of the United States and Canada saw comparable or smaller blueberry shipments.
The biggest drop in volume for any region was in Michigan, which had a rough year due to weather, and the states of Georgia and New Jersey were moderately down. British Columbia remained the largest producing region on the continent and experienced flat figures this year. Meanwhile, Washington State saw the largest increase as the U.S.’s leading blueberry state.
Elsewhere, California and Oregon saw only minimal increases and Mexico registered a gradual increase. However, Mexican production was still relatively small, and will have less than 30 million pounds of blueberries. Weather was a major factor for the decline, while labor was also an issue in many areas. North American blueberry shippers have been growing at 80-100 million pounds a year for a number of years, so perhaps a decline was over due.
There is a 2.3% decline in retail fresh vegetable availability — what’s displayed on store shelves — but a 3.5% increase for fresh fruit in 2013, newly updated per capita availability statistics show.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service reported figures for fresh produce in a recent report. The report said that loss-adjusted U.S. fruit and vegetable availability falls well short of dietary guidelines, with per-capita availability of fruit totaling just 43 percent of dietary recommendations.
Per-capita availability of fresh vegetables are representing 66 percent of U.S. dietary recommendations, according to the report. In contrast, per-capita availability of meat was 131 percent of recommendations, with per-capita availability for grains 112 percent of recommended levels, according to the USDA.
Fresh fruit availability, adjusted for loss at all levels including in consumers’ homes, was projected to be 50.4 pounds per capita, up 3.5 percent from 2012 and 8percent higher than in 2003. For fresh vegetables, the loss-adjusted per-capita was 83.7 pounds, down 2.3 percent from 2012, and down 12 [percent from 2003.