Author Archive
Trade wars, tariffs, anti-dumping measures – all can lead to higher prices for consumers. It also can affect loading opportunities at ports and border crossings for truckers.
USA tomato producers, particularly in Florida are pressuring the U.S. Department of Commerce to consider suspending an anti-dumpting probe under which the Mexican tomato industry has been operating since 1966.
USA and the Mexican governments have been trying renegotiate the agreement.
A primary problem here is Mexico can produce tomatoes cheaper than in the USA, plus in the situation where Florida is concerned, Mexico generally provides better tasting tomatoes. Florida grows and ships what is called a mature green tomato, even though it generally has turned red by the time it reaches your local produce department. Mexico on the other hand grows and ships a vine ripe tomato, which usually has much better taste and eating quality.
One study by a USA tomato association based in Nogales, AZ on tomato pricing study shows ending the suspension agreement and imposition of punitive or restrictive tariffs most likely will cause retail tomato prices to skyrocket. It would also mean fresh tomatoes also would not be available for the most part from December through May.
If Mexican tomatoes are forced to withdraw from the U.S. market, prices for popular varieties such as hothouse tomatoes-on-the-vine would double to nearly $5 a pound from a national average of about $2.50 a pound, and grape tomatoes would rise to nearly $5.50 a pound, according to an economic impact analysis by the Nielsen Perishables Group for the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas. Roma prices would go up more than 200 percent, according to the study.
The Florida Tomato Commitee that represents Florida tomato famers stresses retail price increases are not the issue, rather the issue is whether or not Mexican growers are violating anti-dumping laws. This means whether they are exporting their tomatoes to the USA at prices below their cost of production.
A national coalition representing 90 percent of domestic producers, and Florida growers don’t represent 90 percent of the domestic tomato industry has petitioned the Commerce Department asking for termiantion of the suppension agreement. This means other tomato production area also want the suspension since Florida does not produce 90 percent of the USA’s tomatoes.
One fact to consider is the hundreds of growers in Mexico who produce tomatoes for export to the USA would not have been able to stay in business for the last 16 years if they had been selling below their cost of production.
Colorado spud shipments are running more than 10 percent below the previous season so far this year.
Truck load for fresh potatoes amounted to 2,715 last December 2012, compared to 3,022 in December 2011. A severe drought continues to plaque the San Luis Valley. The snowpack in the San Juan Mountains in Colorado’s southwest quadrant had reported only 31 percent of normal in late 2012, although moisture since this as brought the table up to about 65 percent of normal. Drought continues to be a major consern.
Something a bit surprising is the amount of potatoes shipped from the San Luis Valley by rail that increased to 178 loads, compared to 149 the previous year. This is still a very minor portion of shipments.
The drought is the worst in a decade when the record dry spell occurred in 2012.
The main aquifer for the San Luis Valley aquifer has dropped by 120,000 acre feet.
There is some optimism about some ease in the drought since largest snows occur in March, April and May.
The San Luis Valley is averaging about 800 truckloads of potatoes a week.
Colorado potatoes – grossing about $1700 to Dallas.
Trucks! TV, along with Pilot Transportation recently ran Bully Dog’s HDGT through its paceswith a road test in a Kenworth Big Rig. Trucks! and Pilot were thoroughly impressed with the HDGT’s performance. They definitely noticed a sizable increase in horsepower and torque—two huge elements that make Bully Dog Tuners indispensable to drivers. But the gains in fuel mileage were what really caught their attention.
Their test, when calculated over several miles of regular loaded driving, reported annual fuel savings that are simply off the charts! With annual mileage at 120,000 and a fuel cost of $4.19/gallon, the annual savings on fuel came out to over $12,000 with a Bully Dog HDGT installed on the big rig.
Bully Dog has been featured many times in the past on Trucks!, but this was a great opportunity to showcase the vast potential of the HDGT before a large audience. To watch the full Trucks! episode, complete with details on the installation of Bully Dog’s HDGT, head over to the PowerBlock website.
Visit our website for more information on the Bully Dog HDGT.
Migdal Tefen, Israel – BT9 is introducing Xsense®, the innovative Real–seTime and Award-Winning Technology that provides end-to-end insight and control into full supply chain of perishables. This includes a i r f l o w container designs within containers and trucks.
BT9 also offers, along with its strategic partners, a number of innovative, complementary solutions, such as sophisticated, recommendations for modified atmosphere packaging, and sanitation protocols to further maximize efficiencies in the supply chain.
The Xsense® technology was created in response to the perishables industry’s lack of real-time and early warning signals pertaining to risks associated with food quality and food safety. The Xsense® technology is a premier end-to-end cold chain monitoring and management system designed to ensures that all stakeholders in the cold supply chain are fully aware of any imminent risks to their perishables and that transparency and control over their perishables is intact anywhere throughout the supply chain and at any given time. Thus, BT9’s Xsense® technology is designed to proactively monitor, analyze and disseminate risk data to decision makers and then supplements it with expert recommendations on how to manage the emerging risks based on the collected information, assuring the viability of the product’s desired environmental conditions from start to end.
In the fresh produce sector, BT9’s Xsense technology is geared towards combining postharvest expertise and knowledge with temperature fluctuations and out of norm relative humidity data to provides specific cold chain logistics scoring which in turn will serve as the basis for ameliorative recommendations to avert risks associated with food quality and food safety and for benchmarking of cold chain supply service vendors. In fact, more than just providing single event sensor information, BT9’s solutions give context and recommendations of what to do with the information generated in the cold supply chain process based on cumulative shipments data
“This technology is a great tool which will guide improvement and accountability in all parts of the supply chain. Ultimately this will result in a better product for the consumer and better returns for the grower”, confirms Allan Dawson, of Aongatete Coolstores, a family owned storage and packaging company that caters for the Bay of Plenty kiwifruit industry, in New Zealand.
Xsense® system provides knowledge to support change wherever needed in the supply chain, improves best practices across all locations in the supply chain, implements and improves near-real time inventory management system that is based on weighted exposure to temperatures in the supply chain. It also drives innovation in technologies throughout various components for the supply chain.
BT9 experts identify chronic cold chain problems and take corrective actions to reduce waste and improve quality, overall performance and profitability, and deliver consumers fresh produce in optimal condition. BT9 also offers, along with its strategic partners, a number of innovative, complementary solutions, such as sophisticated a i r f l o w container designs within containers and trucks, recommendations for modified atmosphere packaging, and sanitation protocols to further maximize efficiencies in the supply chain.
“Maintaining the integrity of our specialty produce is essential to the growth and well-being of our company, our customers and the consumers. BT9’s Xsense® system provides us with continuous, wireless data and analysis of temperature fluctuations throughout our supply chain so we can proactively address problems before they affect product quality”, Rod Bernard, Director of Food Safety& Quality Assurance at Southern Specialties, based in Florida.
Therefore, the Xsense® system offers specific advantages to fresh produce companies: waste reduction, retention of perishable products, minimization of risks related to food safety and quality, reduction in insurances premiums, maximization of ROI, improved cold chain transparency and visibility, efficient management of inventory and enhanced brand name reputation.
“The high level objective is to implement wireless temperature and humidity monitoring across the entire supply chain to collect valuable information which can be used to invoke improvements as to the management of fruit in the supply chain. It is well known that without good quality supply chain data, the ability to focus on appropriate solutions is limiting. The Xsense® system can deliver information at a reasonable price from harvest through to customer. Zespri sees the Xsense® system as an opportunity of improving inventory management, and reducing fruit loss. Dr David Tanner, General Manager, Science & Innovation. Zespri International Ltd.
About BT9 Ltd.
BT9 is an end-to-end cold chain management (CCM) solutions provider and the developer of Xsense®, a web-based, real-time monitoring and information system for temperature-sensitive products. This system is currently used by many fresh produce companies in more than 40 countries around the world. BT9 Ltd. was established in 2012 as a technology spin- off of StePac L.A., Israel. Located in Migdal Tefen, Western Galilee, Israel. BT9 is privately held and employs multi- disciplinary professionals with industry and subject matter expertise spanning life sciences, agronomy, plant physiology, embedded technology, data analysis and logistics. BT9 maintains a global network of technical and sales support partners. For more information visit: http://www.bt9-tech.com.
Meet with Xsense® cold chain expertise at Fruit Logistica in Hall 1.2 / Passage B, Booth B-19 and learn more about this innovative and ground breaking technology.
Contact Information: Cristina Velasco cristina@wearemint.com Mob. +34 615 39 56 83 Phone +34 91 791 20 41
Source: BT9 Ltd
It’s going to be a roll of the dice if you are hoping to haul desert vegetables from Arizona’s Yuma district, or out of the desert in nearby California. Mother Nature has played havoc with various winter vegetables as the weather was original too warm, followed by three weeks of cold weather recently.
It was way too warm in November and December, then freezing weather hit after that. The result has been shipping gaps on virtually all vegetables.
Although vegetable loadings should become a little more consistent as we enter February, expect lighter volume overall and some probable quality issues right on through when the desert shipments end in a couple of months or so.
Be sure and see what you are loading and make sure whose paying the freight knows the quality, condition and appearance of the veggies going into your reefer.
Needles to say it’s going to be a rough road through the end of March when vegetable shipments seasonally start shifting to the Huron district in the San Joaquin Valley of California. After about a month or so in Huron, vegetable shipmetns will shift to the Salinas Vallley. There’s all the Oxnard and Santa Maria areas which have light vegetables shipments year around, but increase in volume the arrival of spring.
But even the coastal areas just mentioned are having even lighter than normal shipments due to the cold – with volume down as much as 25 percent.
You might have better luck loading Southern California strawberries, which seem to have avoid serious frost damage.
Still a little more mysterious is the availability of citrus from the San Joaquin Valley. Damage estimates are still being made, although if you load oranges look for ice markings on the outer skin.
Although it is no record, California’s navel shipments this season are predicted to hit 93 million cartons, which is still a lot of loads. Damage to mandarins is expected to be higher than with navels. Also produce haulers should be concerned since valencia oranges, which will be shipped after the navels are finished, could start showing damage several months from now.
Southern California citrus and berries – grossing about $4600 to Atlanta.
Mexican and USA officials will be able to screen shipments of fresh produce before they reach the U.S. border at Otay Mesa, CA near San Diego under plans for a customs inspection station in Tijuana. Such a facility also would benefit truckers hauling fresh produce being imported from Mexico.
The inspection facility could handle 200 trucks per day. There has been little publicity on the project near Otay Mesa and some observes feel it may prove a valuable concept for other ports, such at Nogales, AZ, which is a much bigger port of entry for fruits and vegetables.
There is known estimated date when the facility will open. The program at the Otay Mesa station will focus on high-volume agricultural commodities with the goal of more efficient border movement. The pilot program is scheduled to last six months and may be extended.
The facility, which is only a few hundred yards south of the U.S. border at Otay Mesa, is already built, and has been described as having a class-A facility with plenty of doors and a lot of floor space. It also It features a secure road to the U.S. border.
by Dole Food Company, Inc.
MONTEREY, CA — A unique, year-long partnership between DOLE® Salads and EatingWell Magazine seeks to inspire Americans to eat more salads, fruits and vegetables in 2013 — and ultimately live happier, healthier lives.This partnership represents the first time the world’s largest provider of fresh fruits and vegetables has teamed up with a major media brand. The year-long alliance between Dole and EatingWell print and online properties includes a host of initiatives designed to demonstrate just how easy and delicious a balanced diet rich in leafy greens and fresh produce can be.Elements include delectable new recipes and serving suggestions from the kitchens of Dole and EatingWell, educational outreach, a spring blogger and media summit and a consumer sweepstakes that will reward one lucky salad fan with a $25,000 customized health and wellness prize package.”Eating well is the foundation for living well — and we’re out to give Americans the recipes, serving suggestions and inspiration they need to make 2013 their healthiest and happiest year yet,” said Chris Mayhew, VP of marketing for Dole Fresh Vegetables. “More than just providing resources, our goal is to work with the experts at EatingWell to offer very tangible ways for families to eat more wholesome, nutritious meals that are flavorful and satisfying. Ultimately, both brands have come together to redefine what healthy eating looks — and tastes — like.”
The partnership is part of Dole’s larger mission of increasing America’s nutritional wellness and reducing a number of negative health trends through greater consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. This long-term goal is also what attracted EatingWell to Dole.
“One of our goals is to help Americans learn to love healthier foods through delicious, healthy recipes,” says Lisa Gosselin, editorial director for EatingWell. “Right now, only one in three Americans is getting the servings of fruits and vegetables he or she needs to stay healthy. We’re excited to work with Dole to share some easy, amazing recipes and new ways to enjoy fresh produce.”
Recipes that Go Beyond the Bowl
As part of the collaboration, chefs, nutrition and test kitchen experts at the EatingWell headquarters in Vermont have worked with Dole to provide consumers with salad and vegetable-based recipes, serving, pairing and meal-planning suggestions that highlight salads, fruits and vegetables, and are suitable for Americans at every stage of their lives.
Examples range from inspired new takes on salad classics — like Chopped Tandoori Chicken Salad, Taco Salad and Spinach Salad with Steak & Blueberries — to beyond-the-bowl creations such as Green Pizza, Inside-Out Lasagna, Good Green Tea Smoothie and Ravioli with Arugula & Pecorino.
Other new salads seek to introduce Americans to new ingredients becoming mainstream like quinoa (Quinoa Salad with Dried Apricots & Baby Spinach), lentils (Warm Lentil Salad with Sausage & Apple), tarragon (Tomato, Tuna & Tarragon Salad) and tempeh (Grilled Tempeh Salad with Sesame-Ginger Dressing).
The recipe collaboration kicks off this month with a focus on winter pears — Crunchy Pear & Celery Salad and Pear-Hazelnut Dressing — and includes a full calendar of seasonal ideas suitable for parties and entertaining.
For all downloadable recipes and serving suggestions, go to www.dole.com/salads. New Dole/EatingWell recipes will be added to Dole’s existing online recipe database throughout the year.
Live Well Love Life Sweepstakes
A highlight of the initiative is an opportunity for consumers to join Dole and the EatingWell experts for eight weeks of recipes, tips and encouragement to inspire a healthier, happier you — and qualify to win a $25,000 customized health and wellness prize package.
Consumers who answer one of many salad-related questions on the DOLE Salads website — such as “How will eating salads help you feel better and more vibrant about life this year?” — are automatically entered into the Live Well Love Life Sweepstakes to become eligible for the grand prize plus EatingWell magazine subscriptions, cookbooks and DOLE Salads. No purchase is required to enter.
The grand prize includes a five-day trip to Vermont to visit the EatingWell test kitchen and enjoy private cooking lessons with an EatingWell chef, meal-planning with an EatingWell dietician, personal fitness training with a local instructor, and more. For complete details on the sweepstakes and all other elements of the partnership, go to www.dole.com/salads.
About EatingWell
Launched in 2002, EatingWell (whose motto is “Where Good Taste Meets Good Health”) is the multi-platform publisher of healthy recipes, nutrition advice, cooking tips and research-based articles about food and its origins. The brand has rapidly diversified from producing its award-winning flagship EatingWell Magazine (which now reaches more than 11 million readers) to multiple formats, including a content-rich website www.eatingwell.com which reaches more than 5 million unique visitors a month, and its vibrant custom publishing and licensing programs bring its unique content and recipes to partners worldwide. EatingWell is published 6 times a year by Meredith Corporation (NYSE: MDP).
About DOLE® Salads
DOLE Salads is one of the world’s largest lines of packaged salads, with 47 unique salad blends and all-natural salad kits. The line is supported by a comprehensive online library of salad and salad-based recipes, as well as various consumer-friendly tools like the on-pack DOLE® Salad Guide, Taste and Texture scales, and “Pairs well with” feature, as well as the Dole Salad Circle online community of salad lovers. For details, go to www.salads.dole.com or the DOLE Salads Facebook page at www.facebook.com/DOLESaladGuide.
About Dole Food Company, Inc.
Dole, with 2011 net revenues of $7.2 billion, is the world’s largest producer and marketer of high-quality fresh fruit and fresh vegetables, and is the leading producer of organic bananas. Dole markets a growing line of packaged and frozen fruit and is a produce industry leader in nutrition education and research.
Source: Dole Food Company, Inc.
Shipments of Idaho russet potatoes during the first half of January were off significant because of the extreme cold.
Temperatures below zero in Idaho made it very difficult, sometimes impossible, to haul russets from cellars to plants without the spuds freezing. Although Idaho potato loadings were good through the holidays was good, then the cold hit and movement was stifiled by temperatures ranging from 10-below zero to 5-above zero.
As in California, temperatures in Idaho began rising around January 15 and now are returning to normal.
While Idaho russet loadings were off during the cold, red potato shipments were brisk out of the Red River Valley of North Dakota and Minnesota. Red River Valley packing sheds are reported to be working at capacity to get potatoes shipped. This is despite having a much bigger crop in 2012-13. Potatoes remaining in valley storages as of mid-January are similar to what they were at this time a year ago. The Red River Valley should complete mlost of its shipments around the middle of May, which is normal.
In Colorado’s San Luis Valley, russet shipments are averaging a moderate 375 truck loads per week…..In central Wisconsin about 500 truckloads of russet potatoes are being shipped weekly.
San Luis Valley potatoes – are grossing about $1900 to Chicago.
Idaho potatoes – grossing about $5100 to New York City.
Produce shipments in the east are generally light, which is normal for this time of the year. However, with most dry freight loads not paying nearly as well as fresh and fruits and vegetables, it doesn’t hurt to take a look at what perishable are out there for hauling.
Central and southern areas of Florida are shipping in light volume mixed vegetables, melons, tomatoes, oranges, grapefruit and other citrus. Besides light volume, it makes it even more difficult because some Florida items are not compatible for loading with other Floridia commodies. For example, you can load tomatoes and grapefruit on the same truck in the 55 to 60-degree temperature range, but not not oranges and tomatoes because oranges should be maintained in a colder temperature range.
It may be necessary to fill out your Florida load with something such as cabbage and greens out of south Georgia. Again, cabbage and greens will work on the same load with oranges, but not grapefruit and tomatoes.
Further up the east coast, North Carolina is the nation’s leading shipper of sweet potatoes. There are several sweet potatoes shippers, mostly found from northeast of Raleigh to southeast of Raleigh.
In New York state, storage onions are coming out of Orange county. There’s also some onions, plus cabbage coming out of the central and western regions of New York.
Finally, northern Maine is shipping light to moderat amounts of potatoes from Aroostrock County.
South Georgia vegetables – grossing about $2200 to Philly.
North Carolina sweet potatoes – about $2000 to Orlando.
Available loads for citrus by produce haulers from Florida continue to shrink each month, although the declines are relative small. In the monthly estimate by the USDA, the Florida citrus in now down to 142 million boxes, a drop of nearly three percent.
Most of the decline for lthe 2012-13 crop is with Valencias, which was lowered to 3 million boxes to 76 million from the December estimate of the USDA. The early to mid season oranges decreased 1 million boxes to 66 million boxes.
Monthly estimates by the USDA with revisions will continue until the end of the season in July.
Among the reasons cited for the declines are rainfall, disease, fruit size and a significant dropping of fruit off the trees, which has made it quite tricky making crop forecasts. Most of the decrease is due to citrus droppping of the trees in the the early to middle season Valences, combined with the fruit being small in size.
Florida shipped about 146.6 million boxes of oranges during the 2011-2012 season.
The Sunshine state has litle change in the numbers for specialty fruit and grapefruit, with all numbers remaining the same. About 1.1 million boxes of tangelos and 3.8 million boxes of tangerines are forcast to be shipped.
Florida should load about 18 million boxes of grapefruit, according to the USDA.
Central Florida citrus – grossing about $2400 to New York City.
Trade wars, tariffs, anti-dumping measures – all can lead to higher prices for consumers. It also can affect loading opportunities at ports and border crossings for truckers.
USA tomato producers, particularly in Florida are pressuring the U.S. Department of Commerce to consider suspending an anti-dumpting probe under which the Mexican tomato industry has been operating since 1966.
USA and the Mexican governments have been trying renegotiate the agreement.
A primary problem here is Mexico can produce tomatoes cheaper than in the USA, plus in the situation where Florida is concerned, Mexico generally provides better tasting tomatoes. Florida grows and ships what is called a mature green tomato, even though it generally has turned red by the time it reaches your local produce department. Mexico on the other hand grows and ships a vine ripe tomato, which usually has much better taste and eating quality.
One study by a USA tomato association based in Nogales, AZ on tomato pricing study shows ending the suspension agreement and imposition of punitive or restrictive tariffs most likely will cause retail tomato prices to skyrocket. It would also mean fresh tomatoes also would not be available for the most part from December through May.
If Mexican tomatoes are forced to withdraw from the U.S. market, prices for popular varieties such as hothouse tomatoes-on-the-vine would double to nearly $5 a pound from a national average of about $2.50 a pound, and grape tomatoes would rise to nearly $5.50 a pound, according to an economic impact analysis by the Nielsen Perishables Group for the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas. Roma prices would go up more than 200 percent, according to the study.
The Florida Tomato Commitee that represents Florida tomato famers stresses retail price increases are not the issue, rather the issue is whether or not Mexican growers are violating anti-dumping laws. This means whether they are exporting their tomatoes to the USA at prices below their cost of production.
A national coalition representing 90 percent of domestic producers, and Florida growers don’t represent 90 percent of the domestic tomato industry has petitioned the Commerce Department asking for termiantion of the suppension agreement. This means other tomato production area also want the suspension since Florida does not produce 90 percent of the USA’s tomatoes.
One fact to consider is the hundreds of growers in Mexico who produce tomatoes for export to the USA would not have been able to stay in business for the last 16 years if they had been selling below their cost of production.
Colorado spud shipments are running more than 10 percent below the previous season so far this year.
Truck load for fresh potatoes amounted to 2,715 last December 2012, compared to 3,022 in December 2011. A severe drought continues to plaque the San Luis Valley. The snowpack in the San Juan Mountains in Colorado’s southwest quadrant had reported only 31 percent of normal in late 2012, although moisture since this as brought the table up to about 65 percent of normal. Drought continues to be a major consern.
Something a bit surprising is the amount of potatoes shipped from the San Luis Valley by rail that increased to 178 loads, compared to 149 the previous year. This is still a very minor portion of shipments.
The drought is the worst in a decade when the record dry spell occurred in 2012.
The main aquifer for the San Luis Valley aquifer has dropped by 120,000 acre feet.
There is some optimism about some ease in the drought since largest snows occur in March, April and May.
The San Luis Valley is averaging about 800 truckloads of potatoes a week.
Colorado potatoes – grossing about $1700 to Dallas.
|
Migdal Tefen, Israel – BT9 is introducing Xsense®, the innovative Real–seTime and Award-Winning Technology that provides end-to-end insight and control into full supply chain of perishables. This includes a i r f l o w container designs within containers and trucks.
BT9 also offers, along with its strategic partners, a number of innovative, complementary solutions, such as sophisticated, recommendations for modified atmosphere packaging, and sanitation protocols to further maximize efficiencies in the supply chain.
The Xsense® technology was created in response to the perishables industry’s lack of real-time and early warning signals pertaining to risks associated with food quality and food safety. The Xsense® technology is a premier end-to-end cold chain monitoring and management system designed to ensures that all stakeholders in the cold supply chain are fully aware of any imminent risks to their perishables and that transparency and control over their perishables is intact anywhere throughout the supply chain and at any given time. Thus, BT9’s Xsense® technology is designed to proactively monitor, analyze and disseminate risk data to decision makers and then supplements it with expert recommendations on how to manage the emerging risks based on the collected information, assuring the viability of the product’s desired environmental conditions from start to end.
In the fresh produce sector, BT9’s Xsense technology is geared towards combining postharvest expertise and knowledge with temperature fluctuations and out of norm relative humidity data to provides specific cold chain logistics scoring which in turn will serve as the basis for ameliorative recommendations to avert risks associated with food quality and food safety and for benchmarking of cold chain supply service vendors. In fact, more than just providing single event sensor information, BT9’s solutions give context and recommendations of what to do with the information generated in the cold supply chain process based on cumulative shipments data
“This technology is a great tool which will guide improvement and accountability in all parts of the supply chain. Ultimately this will result in a better product for the consumer and better returns for the grower”, confirms Allan Dawson, of Aongatete Coolstores, a family owned storage and packaging company that caters for the Bay of Plenty kiwifruit industry, in New Zealand.
Xsense® system provides knowledge to support change wherever needed in the supply chain, improves best practices across all locations in the supply chain, implements and improves near-real time inventory management system that is based on weighted exposure to temperatures in the supply chain. It also drives innovation in technologies throughout various components for the supply chain.
BT9 experts identify chronic cold chain problems and take corrective actions to reduce waste and improve quality, overall performance and profitability, and deliver consumers fresh produce in optimal condition. BT9 also offers, along with its strategic partners, a number of innovative, complementary solutions, such as sophisticated a i r f l o w container designs within containers and trucks, recommendations for modified atmosphere packaging, and sanitation protocols to further maximize efficiencies in the supply chain.
“Maintaining the integrity of our specialty produce is essential to the growth and well-being of our company, our customers and the consumers. BT9’s Xsense® system provides us with continuous, wireless data and analysis of temperature fluctuations throughout our supply chain so we can proactively address problems before they affect product quality”, Rod Bernard, Director of Food Safety& Quality Assurance at Southern Specialties, based in Florida.
Therefore, the Xsense® system offers specific advantages to fresh produce companies: waste reduction, retention of perishable products, minimization of risks related to food safety and quality, reduction in insurances premiums, maximization of ROI, improved cold chain transparency and visibility, efficient management of inventory and enhanced brand name reputation.
“The high level objective is to implement wireless temperature and humidity monitoring across the entire supply chain to collect valuable information which can be used to invoke improvements as to the management of fruit in the supply chain. It is well known that without good quality supply chain data, the ability to focus on appropriate solutions is limiting. The Xsense® system can deliver information at a reasonable price from harvest through to customer. Zespri sees the Xsense® system as an opportunity of improving inventory management, and reducing fruit loss. Dr David Tanner, General Manager, Science & Innovation. Zespri International Ltd.
About BT9 Ltd.
BT9 is an end-to-end cold chain management (CCM) solutions provider and the developer of Xsense®, a web-based, real-time monitoring and information system for temperature-sensitive products. This system is currently used by many fresh produce companies in more than 40 countries around the world. BT9 Ltd. was established in 2012 as a technology spin- off of StePac L.A., Israel. Located in Migdal Tefen, Western Galilee, Israel. BT9 is privately held and employs multi- disciplinary professionals with industry and subject matter expertise spanning life sciences, agronomy, plant physiology, embedded technology, data analysis and logistics. BT9 maintains a global network of technical and sales support partners. For more information visit: http://www.bt9-tech.com.
Meet with Xsense® cold chain expertise at Fruit Logistica in Hall 1.2 / Passage B, Booth B-19 and learn more about this innovative and ground breaking technology.
Contact Information: Cristina Velasco cristina@wearemint.com Mob. +34 615 39 56 83 Phone +34 91 791 20 41
Source: BT9 Ltd
It’s going to be a roll of the dice if you are hoping to haul desert vegetables from Arizona’s Yuma district, or out of the desert in nearby California. Mother Nature has played havoc with various winter vegetables as the weather was original too warm, followed by three weeks of cold weather recently.
It was way too warm in November and December, then freezing weather hit after that. The result has been shipping gaps on virtually all vegetables.
Although vegetable loadings should become a little more consistent as we enter February, expect lighter volume overall and some probable quality issues right on through when the desert shipments end in a couple of months or so.
Be sure and see what you are loading and make sure whose paying the freight knows the quality, condition and appearance of the veggies going into your reefer.
Needles to say it’s going to be a rough road through the end of March when vegetable shipments seasonally start shifting to the Huron district in the San Joaquin Valley of California. After about a month or so in Huron, vegetable shipmetns will shift to the Salinas Vallley. There’s all the Oxnard and Santa Maria areas which have light vegetables shipments year around, but increase in volume the arrival of spring.
But even the coastal areas just mentioned are having even lighter than normal shipments due to the cold – with volume down as much as 25 percent.
You might have better luck loading Southern California strawberries, which seem to have avoid serious frost damage.
Still a little more mysterious is the availability of citrus from the San Joaquin Valley. Damage estimates are still being made, although if you load oranges look for ice markings on the outer skin.
Although it is no record, California’s navel shipments this season are predicted to hit 93 million cartons, which is still a lot of loads. Damage to mandarins is expected to be higher than with navels. Also produce haulers should be concerned since valencia oranges, which will be shipped after the navels are finished, could start showing damage several months from now.
Southern California citrus and berries – grossing about $4600 to Atlanta.
Mexican and USA officials will be able to screen shipments of fresh produce before they reach the U.S. border at Otay Mesa, CA near San Diego under plans for a customs inspection station in Tijuana. Such a facility also would benefit truckers hauling fresh produce being imported from Mexico.
The inspection facility could handle 200 trucks per day. There has been little publicity on the project near Otay Mesa and some observes feel it may prove a valuable concept for other ports, such at Nogales, AZ, which is a much bigger port of entry for fruits and vegetables.
There is known estimated date when the facility will open. The program at the Otay Mesa station will focus on high-volume agricultural commodities with the goal of more efficient border movement. The pilot program is scheduled to last six months and may be extended.
The facility, which is only a few hundred yards south of the U.S. border at Otay Mesa, is already built, and has been described as having a class-A facility with plenty of doors and a lot of floor space. It also It features a secure road to the U.S. border.
| by Dole Food Company, Inc.MONTEREY, CA — A unique, year-long partnership between DOLE® Salads and EatingWell Magazine seeks to inspire Americans to eat more salads, fruits and vegetables in 2013 — and ultimately live happier, healthier lives.This partnership represents the first time the world’s largest provider of fresh fruits and vegetables has teamed up with a major media brand. The year-long alliance between Dole and EatingWell print and online properties includes a host of initiatives designed to demonstrate just how easy and delicious a balanced diet rich in leafy greens and fresh produce can be.Elements include delectable new recipes and serving suggestions from the kitchens of Dole and EatingWell, educational outreach, a spring blogger and media summit and a consumer sweepstakes that will reward one lucky salad fan with a $25,000 customized health and wellness prize package.”Eating well is the foundation for living well — and we’re out to give Americans the recipes, serving suggestions and inspiration they need to make 2013 their healthiest and happiest year yet,” said Chris Mayhew, VP of marketing for Dole Fresh Vegetables. “More than just providing resources, our goal is to work with the experts at EatingWell to offer very tangible ways for families to eat more wholesome, nutritious meals that are flavorful and satisfying. Ultimately, both brands have come together to redefine what healthy eating looks — and tastes — like.”
The partnership is part of Dole’s larger mission of increasing America’s nutritional wellness and reducing a number of negative health trends through greater consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. This long-term goal is also what attracted EatingWell to Dole. “One of our goals is to help Americans learn to love healthier foods through delicious, healthy recipes,” says Lisa Gosselin, editorial director for EatingWell. “Right now, only one in three Americans is getting the servings of fruits and vegetables he or she needs to stay healthy. We’re excited to work with Dole to share some easy, amazing recipes and new ways to enjoy fresh produce.” Recipes that Go Beyond the Bowl As part of the collaboration, chefs, nutrition and test kitchen experts at the EatingWell headquarters in Vermont have worked with Dole to provide consumers with salad and vegetable-based recipes, serving, pairing and meal-planning suggestions that highlight salads, fruits and vegetables, and are suitable for Americans at every stage of their lives. Examples range from inspired new takes on salad classics — like Chopped Tandoori Chicken Salad, Taco Salad and Spinach Salad with Steak & Blueberries — to beyond-the-bowl creations such as Green Pizza, Inside-Out Lasagna, Good Green Tea Smoothie and Ravioli with Arugula & Pecorino. Other new salads seek to introduce Americans to new ingredients becoming mainstream like quinoa (Quinoa Salad with Dried Apricots & Baby Spinach), lentils (Warm Lentil Salad with Sausage & Apple), tarragon (Tomato, Tuna & Tarragon Salad) and tempeh (Grilled Tempeh Salad with Sesame-Ginger Dressing). The recipe collaboration kicks off this month with a focus on winter pears — Crunchy Pear & Celery Salad and Pear-Hazelnut Dressing — and includes a full calendar of seasonal ideas suitable for parties and entertaining. For all downloadable recipes and serving suggestions, go to www.dole.com/salads. New Dole/EatingWell recipes will be added to Dole’s existing online recipe database throughout the year. Live Well Love Life Sweepstakes A highlight of the initiative is an opportunity for consumers to join Dole and the EatingWell experts for eight weeks of recipes, tips and encouragement to inspire a healthier, happier you — and qualify to win a $25,000 customized health and wellness prize package. Consumers who answer one of many salad-related questions on the DOLE Salads website — such as “How will eating salads help you feel better and more vibrant about life this year?” — are automatically entered into the Live Well Love Life Sweepstakes to become eligible for the grand prize plus EatingWell magazine subscriptions, cookbooks and DOLE Salads. No purchase is required to enter. The grand prize includes a five-day trip to Vermont to visit the EatingWell test kitchen and enjoy private cooking lessons with an EatingWell chef, meal-planning with an EatingWell dietician, personal fitness training with a local instructor, and more. For complete details on the sweepstakes and all other elements of the partnership, go to www.dole.com/salads. About EatingWell About DOLE® Salads About Dole Food Company, Inc. Source: Dole Food Company, Inc.
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Shipments of Idaho russet potatoes during the first half of January were off significant because of the extreme cold.
Temperatures below zero in Idaho made it very difficult, sometimes impossible, to haul russets from cellars to plants without the spuds freezing. Although Idaho potato loadings were good through the holidays was good, then the cold hit and movement was stifiled by temperatures ranging from 10-below zero to 5-above zero.
As in California, temperatures in Idaho began rising around January 15 and now are returning to normal.
While Idaho russet loadings were off during the cold, red potato shipments were brisk out of the Red River Valley of North Dakota and Minnesota. Red River Valley packing sheds are reported to be working at capacity to get potatoes shipped. This is despite having a much bigger crop in 2012-13. Potatoes remaining in valley storages as of mid-January are similar to what they were at this time a year ago. The Red River Valley should complete mlost of its shipments around the middle of May, which is normal.
In Colorado’s San Luis Valley, russet shipments are averaging a moderate 375 truck loads per week…..In central Wisconsin about 500 truckloads of russet potatoes are being shipped weekly.
San Luis Valley potatoes – are grossing about $1900 to Chicago.
Idaho potatoes – grossing about $5100 to New York City.
Produce shipments in the east are generally light, which is normal for this time of the year. However, with most dry freight loads not paying nearly as well as fresh and fruits and vegetables, it doesn’t hurt to take a look at what perishable are out there for hauling.
Central and southern areas of Florida are shipping in light volume mixed vegetables, melons, tomatoes, oranges, grapefruit and other citrus. Besides light volume, it makes it even more difficult because some Florida items are not compatible for loading with other Floridia commodies. For example, you can load tomatoes and grapefruit on the same truck in the 55 to 60-degree temperature range, but not not oranges and tomatoes because oranges should be maintained in a colder temperature range.
It may be necessary to fill out your Florida load with something such as cabbage and greens out of south Georgia. Again, cabbage and greens will work on the same load with oranges, but not grapefruit and tomatoes.
Further up the east coast, North Carolina is the nation’s leading shipper of sweet potatoes. There are several sweet potatoes shippers, mostly found from northeast of Raleigh to southeast of Raleigh.
In New York state, storage onions are coming out of Orange county. There’s also some onions, plus cabbage coming out of the central and western regions of New York.
Finally, northern Maine is shipping light to moderat amounts of potatoes from Aroostrock County.
South Georgia vegetables – grossing about $2200 to Philly.
North Carolina sweet potatoes – about $2000 to Orlando.
Available loads for citrus by produce haulers from Florida continue to shrink each month, although the declines are relative small. In the monthly estimate by the USDA, the Florida citrus in now down to 142 million boxes, a drop of nearly three percent.
Most of the decline for lthe 2012-13 crop is with Valencias, which was lowered to 3 million boxes to 76 million from the December estimate of the USDA. The early to mid season oranges decreased 1 million boxes to 66 million boxes.
Monthly estimates by the USDA with revisions will continue until the end of the season in July.
Among the reasons cited for the declines are rainfall, disease, fruit size and a significant dropping of fruit off the trees, which has made it quite tricky making crop forecasts. Most of the decrease is due to citrus droppping of the trees in the the early to middle season Valences, combined with the fruit being small in size.
Florida shipped about 146.6 million boxes of oranges during the 2011-2012 season.
The Sunshine state has litle change in the numbers for specialty fruit and grapefruit, with all numbers remaining the same. About 1.1 million boxes of tangelos and 3.8 million boxes of tangerines are forcast to be shipped.
Florida should load about 18 million boxes of grapefruit, according to the USDA.
Central Florida citrus – grossing about $2400 to New York City.