National Watermelon Promotion Board recently partnered with Nutrition Impact LLC on a research project to “determine intake of watermelon and assess association with diet quality, energy and nutrient intake, and physiological parameters in children and adults,” according to a news release.
A National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Analysis, the study was recently published in Nutrients and found that total diet quality was higher in watermelon consumers as compared to nonconsumers.
The study suggests watermelon can increase nutrient intake as well as diet quality in both children and adults, which says the National Watermelon Promotion Board to plans to present additional details later this year at a nutrition research-focused conference, the release said.
The study further found that children and adult watermelon consumers had greater than 5% higher intake of dietary fiber, magnesium, potassium and vitamin A, as well as more than 5% lower intake of added sugars and total saturated fatty acids. The study also showed that watermelon consumers had higher intake of lycopene and other carotenoids.
“Researching the nutritional benefits of watermelon is essential for the watermelon industry and consumers alike,” said Megan McKenna, NWPB senior director of marketing and foodservice. “By understanding the nutritional value of watermelon, we can ensure we are supporting the industry by effectively communicating those benefits while also helping consumers make informed decisions about their health and nutrition.”
The new study is one of several that has launched in recent years refining the NWPB Nutrition Research Program. Last year’s project concluded that “Scientific Literature Confirms Watermelon’s Health Potential.”
The NWPB says more research specific to watermelon’s health benefits is needed to support watermelon consumption and help to educate consumers. With that in mind, part of the board’s strategic plan is continued focus on watermelon’s nutrient research and health trends.
NWPB said it is looking to fund watermelon rind nutrient profiling in order to be included in the USDA FoodData Central database.
The NWPB was established in 1989 as an agricultural promotion group to promote watermelon in the U.S. and in various markets abroad. Funded through a self-mandated industry assessment paid by more than 800 watermelon producers, handlers and importers, NWPB’s mission is to increase consumer demand for watermelon through promotion, research and education programs.
Long time major grower-shipper of Mexican tomatoes and vegetables, Delta Fresh, is adding table grape shipments to its wide ranging list of vegetables.
Delta Fresh, based in Nogales, AZ for the first time this spring will be shipping grapes from the Sonoran production areas of Guaymas, Hermosillo and Caborca. Delta Fresh is working with an existing grower.
Delta Fresh reports in the past it didn’t have the right infrastructure and team to be in the grape business. However, with the firm’s modern, already huge Nogales warehouse facilities, have expanded and the sales and food safety staffing has grown to accommodate the new business.
This spring Delta Fresh is also expanding its line with watermelons, cantaloupes and asparagus. Asparagus shipping was underway in March. The melon season began in late April.
Yakima, WA: Superfresh Growers® will expand its sweet cherry production by 30% this summer, thanks to the addition of a state-of-the-art packing line.
Domex Superfresh Growers plans to have the facility integrated and running well ahead of the arrival of the 2023 Pacific Northwest cherry crop, which is typically late May. The state-of-the-art optical sorter line will handle dark sweet and Rainier cherries.
“Freshness and speed to consumers is the key to success in the cherry category,” said Robert Kershaw, CEO of Superfresh Growers. He continued, “It is magical when an investment improves the experience of all stakeholders in the supply chain. Freshness is the intersection that growers, retailers, and consumers all want. Everyone wants cherries fresh off the tree.”
Superfresh Growers was the largest and latest US cherry grower and packer during the 2022 season. Their last shipments, from high-altitude orchards, extended beyond the Labor Day holiday into September.
“We expect a big year on cherries in 2023. Our bounce-back volume from 2022 should be fantastic. Our season will be longer than ever, again extending through August. We are excited for the quality this new line will provide, and for the additional capacity we will deliver to the market,” states Conner O’Malley, President of Sales.
About Superfresh Growers
Superfresh Growers is a sixth-generation family-owned grower and shipper of apples, pears, cherries, blueberries, and kiwi berries from the Pacific Northwest, including organics in all varieties. Superfresh Growers is the largest packer of fresh cherries in the United States. Learn more at www.superfreshgrowers.com.
Mexican table grape growers expect 2023 grape shipments to be slightly more than last season.
Most Mexican grape shipments normally occur from mid-May through mid-July. Loadings last year were particularly strong results due to lower volumes of early season cherriesin the U.S.
At a recent meeting, Mexico’s Sonora table grape growers association (AALPUM) estimated 21.7 million boxes for the 2023 season, with just over half in green grapes. That would be up 1.3 percent over last year’s 21.4 million boxes.
Producers report a sharp drop in red globe varieties, a variety that has been falling out of favor for some time.
Decreased volumes of summer fruit in the U.S. — due to prolonged bad weather in California — also could help create demand this season for Mexican grapes.
The first shipment of the 2023 New Zealand kiwifruit season recently departed the Port of Tauranga carrying around 2,500 tons (more than 600,000 trays) of Zespri SunGold kiwifruit to customers in Japan. It should arrive there any day now.
The Southampton Star is the first of 53 charter vessels Zespri will use this season to deliver around 145 million trays of green, SunGold and RubyRed kiwifruit to more than 50 countries this year, according to a news release.
Charter vessels will be responsible for delivering around 72 million trays of this season’s New Zealand-grown fruit to Zespri’s global consumers. This season’s charter program includes two vessel services to the West Coast in the U.S., three services to northern Europe, seven to the Mediterranean and 41 to Asia. An additional 73 million trays of kiwifruit will be shipped using container services, according to the release.
ATHENS, GA – Boasting high refrigeration capacities, demonstrated fuel savings of 20 to 25% and reduced emissions for greater sustainability and regulatory compliance, Carrier Transicold’s new X4™ 7700 trailer refrigeration unit is now available through the company’s North America dealer network.
“In full production at our world-class manufacturing facility in Athens, Georgia, the new premium performance X4 7700 single-temperature unit builds on the X4 platform’s decade-long reputation for high capacity and rugged, dependable service,” said Bill Maddox, Senior Manager of Product Management, Truck Trailer Americas, Carrier Transicold. “Continuing the tradition of reliable design and simply smarter engineering, the X4 7700 unit offers a 96% reduction in particulate emissions and double-digit gains in fuel efficiency compared to standard X4 models.”
The new unit employs an advanced version of the smart engine used throughout Carrier Transicold’s existing trailer platforms. Benefits of the new unit include:
• Enhanced compliance – Under current regulations, the X4 7700 provides lifetime compliance with the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) stricter rules for trailer refrigeration systems.
• Significantly better fuel economy – The advanced engine features commonrail fuel injection for optimized fuel delivery that reduces fuel consumption by 5 to 10%. The new third speed, called “eco speed,” automatically decreases engine RPMs during intervals where conditions permit, significantly improving operating efficiency compared to normal low-speed operation for even more fuel savings. Combined, these performance enhancements demonstrated 20 to 25% average fuel savings, relative to standard X4 units, for premium performance X4 7700 units tested by over-the-road fleets under a variety of operating conditions during the summer of 2022.
• Greater sustainability – The unit uses R-452A refrigerant with a global warming potential 45% lower than that of the traditional transport refrigeration unit refrigerant, R-404A. The efficient common rail fuel system and a diesel oxidation catalyst push particulate, hydrocarbon and NOx emissions to new lows, and the unit is the most environmentally responsible choice in the X4 Series for fleets seeking sustainable options.
• Lighter weight – At 1,690 pounds, the X4 7700 weighs about 10% less than its competition.
• Highest capacity – As with its predecessor in the X4 Series, the X4 7700 achieves the high industry benchmark of 68,000 BTU/h at a setpoint of 35 degrees Fahrenheit under certification conditions of the Air-Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration Institute.
“The X4 7700 provides more BTUs of cooling per engine RPM than competitive units, meaning competitive units must run harder than an X4 unit to achieve similar results,” Maddox said.
All X4 7700 units are equipped with Carrier Transicold’s industry-leading LynxTM Fleet telematics solution for remote monitoring of temperatures, location, movement and system operating performance. To help maintain the charge of the battery supporting the unit and its telematics system, Carrier Transicold now also offers its TRU-Mount solar panel as a factory-installed option.
Carrier Transicold’s CARB-compliant TRUs help fleets significantly reduce their environmental impact, supporting Carrier’s 2030 Environmental, Social and Governance Goal of reducing its customers’ carbon footprint by one gigaton.
For more than 50 years, Carrier Transicold has been an industry leader, providing customers around the world with advanced, energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable container refrigeration systems and generator sets, directdrive and diesel truck units, and trailer refrigeration systems. Carrier Transicold is a part of Carrier Global Corporation, the leading global provider of healthy, safe, sustainable and intelligent building and cold chain solutions. For more information, visit Carrier Transicold. Follow Carrier on Twitter: @SmartColdChain, on Facebook at Carrier Transicold Truck/Trailer U.S. & Canada and on LinkedIn at Carrier Transicold Truck Trailer Refrigeration.
Huron iceberg and leaf lettuce out of the San Joaquin Valley is getting under way this week as a few suppliers start harvesting.
Some desert regional shipments will remain available for two to three more weeks, while other areas such as Oxnard, CA will also have limited volume before the Salinas ‘Valley and Santa Maria Valley finally start .
Huron supplies are about 10 to 12 days behind schedule to due to consistently cold and rainy conditions over the past two months. Iceberg lettuce quality is very good; case weights will be light as production begins.
Romaine and green leaf quality also looks good overall, but there is some damage from insects and there elevated dirt at the base of the heads. Case weights for 24-count romaine will be in the lower than normal.
When healthy adults consume the daily amount of vegetable servings recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) it has a positive effect on how happy the person feels, according to a study completed by scientists at the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS).
Many studies show that eating the DGA-recommended daily amounts of fruits and vegetables is good for our general health, but only a few studies have demonstrated the role that vegetable consumption (separate from fruits) has on one’s mental health.
A group of scientists at the Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota, conducted an eight-week study to evaluate the impact of increasing daily vegetable servings to match DGA recommendations on how happy one perceives themself to be, a key measurement of psychological well-being.
The study divided healthy men and women between 18 and 65 years old into two groups. The first group of participants [the vegetable intervention group] received daily servings of DGA-recommended number and variety of vegetables, including dark green, red, and orange, and starchy vegetables, based on their energy needs during the course of the study. The vegetable servings were minimally processed (raw and diced), making it simple for participants to include in their meals. The second group of participants [the control group] received the same number of interactions and attention from the researchers while maintaining a diet without adding v
Many studies show that eating the DGA-recommended daily amounts of fruits and vegetables is good for our general health, but only a few studies have demonstrated the role that vegetable consumption (separate from fruits) has on one’s mental health.
A group of scientists at the Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota, conducted an eight-week study to evaluate the impact of increasing daily vegetable servings to match DGA recommendations on how happy one perceives themself to be, a key measurement of psychological well-being.
The study divided healthy men and women between 18 and 65 years old into two groups. The first group of participants [the vegetable intervention group] received daily servings of DGA-recommended number and variety of vegetables, including dark green, red, and orange, and starchy vegetables, based on their energy needs during the course of the study. The vegetable servings were minimally processed (raw and diced), making it simple for participants to include in their meals. The second group of participants [the control group] received the same number of interactions and attention from the researchers while maintaining a diet without adding vegetables.
All participants completed a questionnaire called the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS). This is a subjective assessment that provides a mean overall score of a person’s state of happiness based on the respondent’s perspective. The study included measurements taken before and after the eight-week intervention.
“We observed an increased in SHS scores in participants from the group that followed the DGA recommendations for vegetable intake, whereas SHS scores stayed the same for the control group, who didn’t change their diet,” said ARS Research Biologist Shanon Casperson.
“Results suggest that increasing the amount of vegetables you eat every day may benefit your mental health,” added Casperson.
The eight-week study was part of a parent study, a more extensive study conducted at the Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center that sought to determine whether adults with overweight and obesity would become more motivated to eat vegetables if they increased the number of servings they ate every day. Unlike very tasty less healthy foods, which become more reinforcing if you eat them every day, increasing the amount of vegetables eaten daily does not make them more reinforcing, highlighting the difficulty of increasing vegetable consumption in adults. However, focusing on the benefits eating more vegetables has on psychological well-being may provide a more salient reason for people to increase their vegetable consumption.
The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in U.S. agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.
The official packing date of Monday, April 17th has been set when shipments of Vidalia onions from Southeastern Georgia can start.
The pack date was recently announced by the Georgia Agriculture Commissioner and Vidalia Onion Committee.
Vidalia onions are available for a limited time each year, between April through early September. The pack date is determined by soil and weather conditions during the growing season, which contributes to high quality Vidalia onions. The produce is produced in 20 Georgia counties.
“For the 2023 season, we have 10,000 acres of Vidalia onions planted in the production area,” said Vidalia Onion Committee Chairman Cliff Riner. “Over the past few years, sweet onion sales have continued to increase, with Vidalia onions being a big part of the market. We’re looking forward to another great season this year.”
With normal yields, 10,000 acres of onions should produce what is considered a normal sized crop.
For more than 80 years, Vidalia onions have been hand-planted, harvested and cured by growers. The Vidalia Onion Act of 1986 established their growing region in South Georgia and trademarked the “Vidalia onion” name. Vidalia onions are grown from a distinctive Granex seed, then packed and sold on or after the official pack date annually.
Texas spring sweet onion shipments are shaping up favorable as some competitive production areas finish their shipping seasons. This could result in a shortage of supplies, which Texans are hoping to fill from the Rio Grande Valley.
The Onion House of Weslaco, TX reports Idaho and Oregon onion shipments are winding down, while onion loadings out of Mexico are 2,000 loads ahead of last season. This could result in lower volume on towards the end of Mexico’s season.
Favorable whether in South Texas resulted in the harvest starting a little early in March, although peak shipments will be in April.
The company’s optimism also is bolstered since it sees the end of the Texas season facing good marketing conditions heading into May as cold weather in both California’s Imperial Valley and Georgia’s Vidalia district should result in later than usual starts for harvest.
The Onion House expects a good shipments of both red and yellow onions from Texas in April and will augment it with some loadings of white onions and organic onions from Mexico.
