Archive For The “News” Category
Here’s some information on potato shipments you may not know….Plus, a new import item to the U.S. is coming – Argentina lemons.
Potatoes are the leading vegetable crop in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service. This also means the nationwide spud crop contributes about 15 percent of farm sales receipts for vegetables each year. Annually over 30 billion pound of potatoes are grown and shipped in the nation.
More than 50 percent of potato sales are to processors for french fries, chips, dehydrated potatoes and other potato products. The balance goes to the fresh market.
Economists who crunch food consumption data collected by the USDA have come to the conclusion the average American eats 142 pounds of potatoes a year, or almost 365 potatoes per person. That is an average of a potato a day. Potatoes are grown commercially in every state from Florida to Alaska, but about 30 states produce the commercial crop.
In terms of nutrition, the potato is best known for its carbohydrate content, about 26 grams in a medium potato. That potato, eaten with the skin, provides 27 milligrams of vitamin C, 620 milligrams of potassium, 0.2 milligrams of vitamin B6 and trace amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, folate, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus, iron and zinc.
The fiber content of a potato with its skin is equivalent to that of many whole grain breads, pastas and cereals. But unlike most of its processed carbohydrate-cousins, that medium potato has just 110 calories and is sodium and cholesterol free.
San Luis Valley, Colorado potato shipments – grossing about $2150 to Chicago.
Argentina Lemon Imports
Lemons from Argentina are poised to win import approval from the USDA after officials visited the Northwest region of the South American country making sure certain standards are met.
Import permits will be issued to Argentine lemon exporters when agriculture officials provide six months of fruit fly trapping data and USDA verification of the data.
The USDA said annual imports of fresh lemons from Argentina are expected to range between 15,000 and 20,000 metric tons. Most Argentine lemon imports are projected between April 1 and August 31.
U.S. fresh lemon production averages about 497,350 metric tons per year.
Sprouts Farmers Market will hold a hiring day on Tuesday, Dec. 6 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at all of its stores from coast to coast. Sprouts aims to fill more than 2,000 full- and part-time, non-seasonal positions to meet the demand of continued growth.
Open interviews will be held at each Sprouts location; no appointment is necessary. A list of local openings and online applications can be found at sprouts.com/careers.
As one of the fastest-growing retailers in the country, Sprouts has created 4,350 jobs since the start of 2016 and promoted more than 20 percent of its workforce.
“Sprouts is a great place to grow a career. As we expand we’re focused on building future leaders and strengthening our reputation for outstanding customer service,” Dan Sanders, Sprouts chief operations officer, said in a press release. “Through our focus on training and education, new team members will learn everything they need to know to help our shoppers along their healthy living journey.”
Sprouts offers competitive pay, excellent benefits, team member discounts, a fun and rewarding culture and great career advancement opportunities. Last year, Sprouts team members saved more than $8 million through store discounts and received more than $1.5 million in additional incentives and scholarships.
Openings are available in all Sprouts departments, including specialized areas. Interested candidates can learn more during a one-on-one interview at the hiring event.
Employment opportunities include department managers and assistant department managers, clerks, cashiers, courtesy clerks (checkout assistants) and backup receivers, administrative coordinators and scan coordinators.
Sprouts opened its first store in Chandler, AZ back in 2002, and today is operating 250 stores across the U.S.
Sprouts is the grocery shopping experience that makes healthy living easy and affordable. Its bright and cheery neighborhood grocery stores offer fresh, natural and organic foods and products at incredible prices – and in an approachable setting that feels like an old-fashioned farmers market.
You will find mountains of colorful, fresh fruits and vegetables, barrels of wholesome grains, nuts and sweets, and full-service deli, meat and seafood counters—complete with handmade burgers and sausages.
Export volume at the Port of Oakland, CA hit a three-year high in October as the facility shipped the equivalent of 89,473 20-foot containers.
The total was the highest since October 2013 and the fourth-highest in the port’s history, according to a news release. Agricultural commodities account for 40 percent of the port’s total export volume so far this year. In 2015 agricultural commodities accounted for 38 percent of the total.
Those numbers come from Datamyne, a source of trade intelligence that uses U.S. Customs and Border Protection data, according to Mike Zampa, communications director for Port of Oakland. Exports of fruits and vegetables from California’s Central, Napa and Salinas valleys go through the port.
Year-to-date exports from the Port of Oakland are up 10 percent over 2015. Contributing factors to the increase include “a softer U.S. dollar and healthy agricultural harvests,” according to the release.
“Increased export volume is nothing new; we’ve reported gains in nine of the first 10 months of the year,” Port of Oakland maritime director John Driscoll said in the release, “but the amount of volume growth highlights just how strong this rally is.”
Port History
According Wikipiedia, originally, the estuary, 500 feet (150 m) wide, had a depth of two feet at mean low tide. In 1852, the year of Oakland‘s incorporation as a town by the California State Legislature, large shipping wharves were constructed along the Oakland Estuary, which was dredged to create a viable shipping channel. 22 years later, in 1874, the previously dredged shipping channel was deepened to make Oakland a deep water port.
In the late 19th century, the Southern Pacific was granted exclusive rights to the port, a decision the city soon came to regret. In January 1906, a small work party in the employ of the Western Pacific Railroad, which had just begun construction, hastily threw a crossing over the SP line to connect the WP mainline with trackage built on an area of landfill. This act, protested by the SP and later held up in court, broke the railroad’s grip on the port area. The courts ruled that all landfill since the date of the agreement did not belong to the SP. This ruling ended SP control and made the modern Port of Oakland possible.
(Port of Oakland photo by: Robert Campbell, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)
A colossal cucumber has been grown by 72-year-old, Knoxville, MD native, Butch Taulton, whose 43-inch monstrosity has just broken the Guinness World Record for longest cucumber.
Much to the chagrin of professional growers across the world, the record-breaking retiree grew the cuke right on his three-acre home garden with seeds he bought at his local Home Depot. Taulton’s 43-inch triumph has unseated former holder of the longest cuke title, Ian Neale of Wales in the United Kingdom, who presented his veg in September of 2011, according to The World Record Academy.
“I just kept watering it and it kept growing,” Taulton told the Record Academy. “The packet of seeds from Home Depot said they would grow between 32 to 36 inches long—they weren’t supposed to get this big.”
It looks like Taulton won’t exactly be enjoying the fruits of his labor, however. Taulton says although the “exotic cucumber” variety is “sweet, tender, and tasty,” he doesn’t have the time it would take to consume the entire giant. The grower spends much of his time since retiring from road construction just growing his garden and tending to his goats.
PORT HUENEME, CA. — Over 100,000 tons of additional fresh fruits and vegetables should be arriving at the Port of Hueneme annually as SeaLand has designated the facility as a new port call.
SeaLand, the Intra-Americas regional ocean carrier for the Maersk Group, based in Miramar, FL, launched a new service at the port in September.
Although the ocean carrier will transport a wide range of cargo, fresh fruit will make up the majority of its payload coming to the Port of Hueneme, said Tim Child, SeaLand’s chief operations officer.
Bananas, avocados, pineapples, limes, dried fruit and nuts are some of the items the carrier will bring in as part of the company’s West Coast Central America (WCCA) service, which will offer weekly runs between Southern California, Mexico, Central America and the west coast of South America.
As for exports, SeaLand will be handling apples, table grapes and stone fruit on a seasonal basis.
Shipping is the most fuel-efficient method of transporting goods and provides an alternative for produce that typically is trucked from Mexico, Child said.
It also could improve distribution of goods coming to or from California’s Central Valley, he said.
Steve Barnard, president and CEO of Mission Produce Inc., an Oxnard-based avocado grower-shipper, was on hand for the welcoming event.
“This new service into Oxnard is going to be be huge, at least for the local community and Mission in particular,” he said. “We bring in several thousand loads a year from Mexico and South America,” he said.
Until now, the company’s product from Mexico has been delivered by truck.
“This is going to save time and energy,” he said. “The carbon footprint is going to be significantly reduced.”
The Port of Hueneme, known as “the port that farmers built,” is surrounded by the Oxnard growing area, specializes in refrigerated cargo and is well-suited to the volume of fresh fruit bound for the U.S. Southwest from Latin America, said Ariel Frias, SeaLand’s head of marketing.
It’s about 60 miles northwest of Los Angeles and will serve as “an alternative gateway” to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
The port offers an efficient infrastructure for fresh produce that includes faster inspections and nearby cold storage facilities, he said.
The port already handles 650,600 tons of bananas and 113,400 tons of other fruit annually.
by Idaho Potato Commission
EAGLE, ID — Attention food fanatics and chefs extraordinaire! During the month of November enter your favorite Idaho® potato recipe for a chance to win a $1,500 cash prize, a myriad of kitchen appliances from Kenmore® and a 15 lb. bag of fresh Idaho® potatoes. In addition to the prizes awarded for first, second and third place, a $500 “Social Spud” prize will be given to the recipe receiving the most “likes” on the contest page, encouraging contestants to share their recipe entry on their social media channels.
“This contest is a smart way for three well-known reputable brands to get folks across the country excited about baking and cooking with Idaho® potatoes during the holiday season,” explained Frank Muir, President and CEO, Idaho Potato Commission (IPC). “We believe this could be the biggest recipe contest in the IPC’s history in terms of number of entries received and total reach to consumers and the media. And that means more great recipes for us to try and share with family and friends!”
To be eligible, all entries must be received by 11:59 PM MST, November 30, 2016 and include the following:
- Use fresh, frozen or dehydrated Idaho® potatoes
- Include complete recipe ingredient list and directions
- Submit a high quality recipe photo
- Provide a brief recipe description
Prizes include:
- First Place: $1,500 cash and a full suite of Kenmore® small kitchen appliances
- Second Place: Kenmore® small kitchen appliance and a 15 lb. bag of Idaho® potatoes
- Third Place: Kenmore® small kitchen appliance and a 15 lb. bag of Idaho® potatoes
- Social Spud: $500 cash for the recipe with the most votes
Recipes will be reviewed and tested by representatives from the IPC and judged on their combination of creativity, taste, ease of preparation, and, of course, use of Idaho® potatoes. Winners will be notified by December 10, 2016. The winning recipe will be featured on the IPC’s website and social media channels.
About The Idaho Potato Commission
Established in 1937, the Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) is a state agency responsible for promoting and protecting the famous “Grown in Idaho™” seal, a federally registered certification mark that assures consumers are purchasing genuine, top-quality Idaho® potatoes. Idaho’s growing season of warm days and cool nights, ample mountain-fed irrigation, and rich volcanic soil give Idaho® potatoes their unique texture, taste and dependable performance, which differentiates Idaho® potatoes from potatoes grown in other states.
NEW YORK, N.Y. – Appearance. No matter how many times we’ve been told not to judge a book by its cover, waiting to pass judgement on something until after we get past its outside has never been an easy task for people to accomplish. Whether it’s what we’re reading or who we’re meeting, people have a tendency to set expectations based on surface assessment. But does the same hold true for what we eat? According to a recent Harris Poll, about eight in ten Americans (81%) confirm that appearance (i.e., not blemished or misshapen in any way) is at least somewhat important to them when shopping for fresh produce (i.e., fruits and vegetables), with 43% saying it is very or extremely important.
When listed alongside other fresh produce descriptors, appearance proved to be more important than provenance (i.e., locally grown or sourced), the retailer’s food waste practices, and organic. However, the price and seasonality are more likely to be important to a purchaser than appearance.
“Whether ‘ugly’ or not, produce is on the rise, up 5% in U.S. dollar sales in the latest 52 weeks ending July 30, 2016,” said Jen Campuzano, Director Fresh Perishables at Nielsen. “Choosing healthier and more natural products has become a priority for households across the country. For some, this means transparency in labeling, opting for foods with basic ingredient lists or embracing fruits and vegetables, blemishes and all.”
These are some of the results of The Harris Poll® of 2,025 U.S. adults aged 18+ and surveyed online between August 10 and 12, 2016.
Ugly produce
Despite the weight Americans place on appearance, more than three in five adults (62%) say they would be at least somewhat comfortable eating “ugly produce,” that is, fruit or vegetables that may be misshapen but otherwise taste the same. Moreover, three quarters of adults (76%) would expect to pay less for “ugly produce,” while a fifth (20%) could see paying the same as usual.
Despite professed comfort with eating ugly produce, fewer than three in ten Americans (28%) recall buying “ugly produce” in the past year, compared to 51% who are sure they did not and 21% who are not sure either way. And of those who bought “ugly produce,” six in ten (61%) did so for the price discount.
Food waste
While the primary reason Americans bought “ugly produce” was price, the runner up answer from more than a fifth (22%) of purchasers was that they wanted to reduce food waste. Americans estimate that, typically, 10% of the groceries they buy are wasted, that is, spoil or go bad before they can be eaten. Over eight in ten Americans (84%) are at least somewhat concerned about the issue of food waste, primarily because they would like to be less wasteful (62%).
So how do Americans believe we can reduce household food waste? Nearly half (46%) of adults believe better storage for fresh produce is the key to waste reduction, followed closely by more than 2 in 5 (42%) who advocate buying less food, more frequently. Another 38% believe the solution is better meal planning, while 35% say it would help if smaller package sizes were available in the grocery store.
by Idaho Potato Commission
EAGLE, ID — Does the real Idaho® Potato Farmer finally find his missing truck? We’ll never tell! Watch the new commercial featuring Farmer Mark and the Big Idaho® Potato Truck on national cable networks including The Food Network, CNN, Headline News, Fox News and The History and Cooking Channels that began November 11 to find out.
The commercials made their debut five years ago during the first Big Idaho® Potato Truck Tour. This year marks the sixth installment of the Idaho Potato Commission’s (IPC) wildly popular television commercials starring Farmer Mark and his on-going search for the elusive Big Idaho® Potato Truck.
“Since we launched the campaign five years ago, we’ve received thousands of calls from folks located all across the country with updates on the Truck’s whereabouts,” explained Frank Muir, President and CEO, IPC. “One of the reasons the commercials have been so effective is because of the incredible consumer engagement component reinforced by the Truck’s nationwide tour when it was seen by tens of millions of people of all ages.”
The new commercial aired twice during the Boise State University and BYU football game on October 20 as part of the IPC sponsorship package and its long-standing support of the Broncos. The commercial will air through early April, achieving more than 550 million audience impressions. To view it now, visit the IPC’s YouTube channel.
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About the Idaho Potato Commission
Established in 1937, the Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) is a state agency responsible for promoting and protecting the famous “Grown in Idaho™” seal, a federally registered certification mark that assures consumers they are purchasing genuine, top-quality Idaho® potatoes. Idaho’s growing season of warm days and cool nights, ample mountain-fed irrigation and rich volcanic soil, give Idaho® potatoes their unique texture, taste and dependable performance, that differentiates Idaho® potatoes from potatoes grown in other states.
About the Big Idaho® Potato Truck
The Big Idaho® Potato Truck just completed its fifth cross-country journey. The tour began in 2012 as a one-year campaign to celebrate the IPC’s 75th anniversary. The reaction from consumers, the industry and the media made it apparent the truck would not be retiring anytime soon. Today, it’s a solid part of pop-culture. It’s traveled more than 100,000 miles, visited 48 states, met millions of folks across the country and generated billions of media impressions. To learn more about the Truck, please visit BigIdahoPotatoTruck.com.
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As Turbana becomes Fyffes North America, it brings the resources of the biggest banana supplier in Europe to this side of the Atlantic.
North American buyers could stock the Fyffes brand before, but now it takes over for the Turbana brand in the market unless buyers request the Turbana label.
Ireland-based Fyffes owns 50% of the former Turbana company in addition to an increasing number of holdings in North America.
The change will be officially announced at PMA Fresh Summit, but Jack Howell, senior vice president of sales for Fyffes NA, said customers are being informed now, and the Fyffes label will begin shipping on bananas in the U.S. and Canada.
Fyffes is the largest banana shipper in Europe with 46 million cases. It extends its global sourcing infrastructure the No. 4 banana shipper in North America with 10 million cases per year.
Its main banana sources for this market are Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador and Guatemala, but it owns farms and has grower agreements with 12 countries in Central and South America.
Fyffes is also a significant player in North America in pineapples, off-shore melons and mushrooms.
In April, Fyffes acquired Leamington, Ontario-based Highline Produce Ltd., the largest mushroom producer in Canada, which was followed this month by the acquisition of All Seasons Mushrooms, Langley, British Columbia.
However, those businesses are owned by Fyffes PLC in Dublin and are not part of Coral Gables, Fla.-based Fyffes NA.
“With over 100 years in the industry, we are experts in supply chain, sourcing the highest quality fruit, and helping retailers profitably grow their banana business,” Howell said.
Fyffes was founded in 1888, and in 1929 became the first name brand in bananas.
During the next decade, Florida orange production could sink by another two-thirds unless better solutions to the fatal bacterial disease citrus greening aren’t found.
That’s the worst-case scenario presented recently to the Florida Citrus Commission in a new, long-term citrus production forecast by Marisa Zansler, chief economist at the Florida Department of Citrus, and Tom Spreen, emeritus professor of agricultural economics at the University of Florida and a department consultant. The commission is the Citrus Department’s governing board.
Spreen presented three forecasts based on different computer models of the future, including one based on no research breakthroughs on greening and no change in current production trends, such as declines in yield, or the boxes of fruit harvested per tree, and in the shrinking number of trees and commercial grove acres.
The pessimistic model projects Florida growers harvesting 27.3 million boxes of oranges in the 2026-27 season. That compares to 81.6 million orange boxes harvested in the recently completed 2015-16 season and 242 million boxes in 2003-04, the last season unaffected by greening or hurricanes.
“I hope that scenario is not more likely,” Spreen said. “It’s a very scary picture. There’s no other way to put it.”
One factor affecting yields on greening-infected trees has been a significant increase in the levels of pre-harvest fruit drop, which began appearing in the 2011-12 season. Other factors include smaller fruit size, which means more fruit to fill a standard box, thus a lower total harvest.
But the most optimistic scenario makes some big assumptions, including investing at least $500 million in planting new trees at a 255 percent replanting rate over the number of trees lost each season, he said. Growers would need to sustain that rate every year over the next decade.
The current replanting rate is 50 percent, largely because many growers are unwilling to make the investment until researchers find better methods against greening.
Even at that aggressive replanting rate, Florida growers would produce just 100 million orange boxes in 2026-27, or less than half the production 12 years ago.
Florida growers can achieve the optimistic scenario, said Spreen, citing high levels of replanting in the late 1980s and early 1990s following three major destructive freezes in 1983 to 1989.
But it would take a scientific breakthrough in breeding a new citrus tree that is tolerant or resistant to greening, he added. Tolerance means the tree would get infected but suffer less damage, notably yield loss, and resistance means the tree would be less susceptible to infection.
“We just need that light at the end of the tunnel to show up, and then we’ll see a burst of new planting similar to what we saw in the 1980s,” Spreen said.