Archive For The “News” Category
By Western Growers
IRVINE, Calif. – Western Growers has revamped its Produce Price Index (PPI) website to allow consumers to easily identify the price difference between what customers pay at grocery stores for fresh produce and what farmers actually receive for their products. In an effort to educate consumers and stakeholders on how much farmers receive for the fruits and vegetables they grow, the PPI details the selling price at the farm, the average price charged at major retail stores and the percentage spread between the two.
“The escalating input costs farmers have to pay in order to sustain a nutritious and reliable global food supply is often overlooked,” said Tom Oliveri, director of trade practices & commodity services at Western Growers. “With this improved Produce Price Index, we’ll continue to educate the public on the gap between farm and retail prices, as well as help consumers understand the pricing structure in the agriculture industry.”
Western Growers has been providing pricing data on fresh produce items since 1996. The index, which is now outfitted with an improved interface and easier navigation, highlights how farmers continue to remain price takers rather than price makers. Many consumers do not realize that on average farmers receive less than 16 cents of every $1 spent on food. Due to rising input costs for farmers—including labor, water, land and other resources—and the continuous implementation of costly buyer and regulatory demands, the historically-lean profit margins for fresh produce farmers continue to tighten, requiring continuous innovation by farmers in order to maintain the long-term economic viability of many family farming businesses.
The PPI is updated weekly and lists prices from U.S. cities including Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago and New York. Users now have the ability to search the database by commodity, date range and location. Visit the PPI website at http://www.producepriceindex.com/. For more information, contact Tom Oliveri at (949) 885-2269.
About Western Growers:
Founded in 1926, Western Growers represents local and regional family farmers growing fresh produce in Arizona, California and Colorado. Our members and their workers provide half the nation’s fresh fruits, vegetables and tree nuts, including half of America’s fresh organic produce. For generations we have provided variety and healthy choices to consumers. Connect with and learn more about Western Growers on our Twitter and Facebook.
By Scott Farms International
Scott Farms International, based in Lucama, N.C., has long been one of the leaders in the sweet potato industry. Keeping in that tradition, the Scott Family continues to expand and innovate.
In just two short years, the grower-shipper has built a 60,000 sq. ft. automated packing facility, opened an additional international office, and completed construction of an 80,000 sq. ft. storage and curing facility. All to the betterment of sweet potatoes.
“Sweet potato consumption is growing in the US and around the world”, Linwood “Sonny” Scott, Jr. said. “We built our automated line with the expectation it would offer a more consistent pack for our customers. It was only natural we move on to the next phase with more storage, as well.”
The company boasted 1.6 million bushels of environmentally controlled storage before adding another 600,000 bushels in the new facility. “Increasing our storage capacity will help us serve our domestic and international markets better and more efficiently”, Dewey Scott, Vice President, Sweet Potato Operations, said. “Our new office in the Netherlands will complement our already successful office in the UK. Our domestic business is growing with the trends in consumption as well. Scott Farms is committed to being at the front of the industry with quality, consistency and safe products.”
In addition to infrastructure expansions, the operation is expanding product lines as well. In August, their new Steam-In-Bag line was added to complement their other added-value products. “The Steam-In-Bag product is starting to gain traction with our retail customers”, Stephanie Williams, Director of Sales for Scott Farms, said recently. “Our customers are the driving force for us. We are in a unique position as the grower, packer and shipper of our sweet potatoes to have control of the entire process from the plant to the customer. It is great to be able to offer the quality and consistency we do for our customers.”
Key Facts:
- Scott Farms is a sixth generation family owned farm
- Incorporation date – 1980
- Scott Farms International office opened in the United Kingdom – 2005
- 2.2 Million bushels of environmentally controlled storage and curing
- 60,000 sq. ft. packing facility opened – March 2015
- Second Scott Farms International office opened in Holland – 2016
- Additional 80,000 sq. ft. storage and curing facility opened – October 2016
Located on approximately 13,000 acres in North Carolina’s sweet potato and tobacco heartland of Wilson and surrounding counties, the company has been in continuous operation and expansion for 150 years. The sixth generation, family owned farm specializes in growing corn, wheat, soybeans, tobacco and sweet potatoes. The Scott Family employs a hands-on approach to supplying the highest quality products to the marketplace with efficiency while maintaining the strictest food safety standards. The addition of a 60,000 sq. ft. grading and packing facility for sweet potatoes has allowed the operation to expand the reach of supply to the international market, as well as, opening Scott Farms International offices in the United Kingdom and Holland.
GLENDALE, Calif. — Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media (DCPI) and Dole Food Company recently announced plans to launch a new co-branded assortment of fresh produce featuring iconic Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, and Marvel characters at grocery and retail stores nationwide beginning this fall. The announcement comes ahead of the 2016 Produce Marketing Association (PMA) Fresh Summit Convention and Expo that took place October 14-16 in Orlando, FL.
“Disney and Dole have a shared mission of providing high quality produce to help families lead healthier lives,” said Josh Silverman, executive vice president of global licensing, Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media. “As an industry leader in licensed food, we are excited to pair our unrivaled portfolio of brands, characters and stories with Dole’s fresh fruits and vegetables to support parents as they encourage their kids to make healthier food choices.”
“It’s rare that two iconic brands with as much passion and potential for improving the way America and the world eats can come together to make positive change,” said Bil Goldfield, director of communications for the Dole Food Company. “As one of the world’s foremost nutrition leaders, Dole is excited to partner with Disney to take both companies’ commitment to health and wellness to the next level. Together, we can do even more to deliver fun, educational and nutritional information around the power of produce to individuals and families across North America.”
The two brands will launch its first program this fall, followed by a host of other health and nutrition education programs themed around other Disney, Star Wars and Marvel films and characters in 2017. These programs will include consumer promotions, digital integrations, in-store activities, and themed recipes featuring DOLE products to encourage kids and families to adopt a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables.
In 2006, The Walt Disney Company became the first major media company to establish a Nutrition Guideline Policy to associate its brands and characters with a more nutritious portfolio of foods and beverages. The company has since marked every year of its Healthy Living Commitment with significant milestones such as becoming the first major media company to launch food advertising standards for kids, launching new content and experiences that inspire healthier lifestyles, and introducing the Mickey Check. The Mickey Check is a quick and easy way for families to identify healthier food and beverage options in stores, on-air, on-line, at Disney theme parks and resorts, and other places where Disney products are sold. Foods and recipes that feature the Mickey Check adhere to the rigorous Disney Nutrition Guideline Criteria.
For more than a century, Dole has served as an unrivaled health and wellness resource to millions of healthy-eating enthusiasts worldwide. Dole is committed to nutrition and nutrition education, and to encouraging the world to adopt a healthier diet including more fresh fruits and vegetables. Dole believes that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can increase America’s nutritional health and help reverse a number of negative health trends, among them improper diet and inadequate exercise as the leading causes of preventable death. In 2003 Dole established the Dole Nutrition Institute (DNI) specifically to study the health and wellness benefits of fruits and vegetables, and a plant-based diet. Today, DNI remains the world’s most definitive, easily accessible and scientifically validated resource on nutrition and health. In addition, Dole recently established a Director and Department of Culinary Nutrition to translate produce-based research into compelling meals that prove the vital role of fruit and vegetables as the staple of a healthy diet.
by Sharon Durham, USDA AgResearch Magazine
Up until the early 1900s, blueberries were picked from the wild, and the bushes of the berries often did not survive when transplanted elsewhere. True domestication-involving propagation of the plant by the grower and plant breeding to improve desirable traits-was beyond reach until 1910. That’s when USDA botanist Frederick Coville discovered that blueberry bushes require moist, acidic soil to thrive. In 1916, exactly a century ago, the first commercial cultivated crop of
highbush blueberries was harvested.
That history is now enhanced by Baby Blues, a cultivar released in cooperation with the Oregon State University’s Agricultural Experiment Station and the Washington State University’s Agricultural Research Center (ARS). This new blueberry is making its debut during the 100th anniversary of the first cultivated blueberry crop to go to market.
“Baby Blues is a vigorous, high-yielding, small-fruited, machine-harvestable highbush blueberry with outstanding fruit quality. It’s well-suited for those processing markets that require a small fruit size,” says Finn. “Baby Blues should offer growers and processors an alternative to the low-yielding Rubel highbush blueberry, and it may thrive in milder areas where northern highbush blueberries are grown.”
Finn also developed a new blackberry named Columbia Giant. This thornless, trailing blackberry cultivar came from the same breeding program as Baby Blues and was also released in cooperation with the Oregon State University’s Agricultural Experiment Station.
“This cultivar is a high-quality, high-yielding, machine-harvestable blackberry with firm, sweet fruit that, when processed, is similar to or better in quality than fruit from the industry standards Marion and Black Diamond,” says Finn. “Due to its extremely large size, however, Columbia Giant will most commonly be sold in the fresh market.”
Columbia Giant is adaptable to areas where other trailing blackberries successfully grow.
“Two Tasty New Berries From ARS” was published in the September 2016 issue of AgResearch Magazine.
Expansion plans for Port Tampa are announced, plus a huge expansion in advertising plans are announced for Wonderful Pistachios.
Port Tampa
Port Logistics Refrigerated Services has started construction of a cold storage facility at Port Tampa Bay. Based in Tampa, Port Logistics’ 134,000-square-foot on-dock warehouse is scheduled to open in the summer of 2017
The cold storage will have over 9,000 pallet positions, 96 refrigerated container plugs, a Gottwald mobile harbor crane and onsite USDA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspection, as well as fumigation services. The facility is located on 13.7 acres and will handle both palletized breakbulk cargo and refrigerated containers.
Pistachio Ad Campaign
By The Wonderful Company
LOS ANGELES — Wonderful Pistachios, known for its iconic “Get Crackin’” ads, launched its biggest “Get Crackin’” advertising campaign ever, investing $55 million to support the largest pistachio crop in history. The irreverent and comedic commercials feature a really big star—literally—with the introduction of Ernie the Elephant. This pistachio-loving, health-conscious, somewhat bold, always hilarious, computer-generated spokes-elephant refuses to work for peanuts and is voiced by WWE Superstar John Cena (“Trainwreck,” Fox’s “American Grit”).
“Ernie and I are alike in many ways,” said Cena. “We’re both fun-loving guys, confident in our choices. I’m excited to join Wonderful Pistachios’s popular ‘Get Crackin’’ campaign by bringing to life its newest character, Ernie the Elephant, whose favorite food is Wonderful Pistachios. Whether you’re in the ring, on the go, at work, or hanging out with friends, Wonderful Pistachios is a fun, healthy snack that’s a good source of protein and fiber, and a strong foundation for good nutritional choices.”
Ernie the Elephant makes his debut in two commercials, which air during tonight’s “Monday Night Football,” “Dancing with the Stars,” “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” and more. In one spot, Ernie attends a baseball game, touting Wonderful Pistachios as a superior snack to those tired old peanuts sold at the stadium. Another features Ernie as “the elephant in the room”—or elevator—talking up pistachios, while his tons-of-fun personality tests the elevator’s weight sensors. In the coming months, eight more commercials will air and pistachio lovers will witness Ernie’s unique take on elephant stereotypes, supermarket shopping, working out, lady squirrels and airport travel.
Later this football season, two more spots feature Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman schooling Ernie with his best defensive moves—and his famous trash talk—both on and off the field. As one of the smartest players in football, Sherman not only matches wits with Ernie in the “Get Crackin’” campaign, he demonstrates Wonderful Pistachios’s commitment to healthy eating through a series of “Snack Smarter” digital videos, educating football fans on the nutritional benefits of Wonderful Pistachios compared to other unhealthy salty snacks, such as nachos and crackers.
by Organic Trade Association
Americans are gobbling up more organic fruits and vegetables than ever before, from organic blueberries and organic apples to organic packaged greens and cut-up organic vegetables ready for their children’s lunch box or their family’s dinner plate.
Over half of all households in the United States now purchase organic produce. The sale of organic bananas alone – now a $165 million market – soared by more than 30 percent last year. Organic “value-added” vegetables (think chopped kale, peeled carrots and ready-to-cook squash) grew by a whopping 54 percent in 2015 to almost $150 million.
What’s big in the organic produce sector? A few standouts in the produce section:
- Organic bananas: Sales up a solid 33 percent from a year ago.
- Organic blackberries: Sales up a sharp 61 percent from a year ago.
- Organic salad greens and organic baby carrots: Sales of each up 11 percent versus a year ago.
- Organic Pink Lady Apples: Sales almost double (up 96 percent) that of a year ago.
“The organic produce market is growing and strong, and it is driving trends in produce innovation across the board,” said Laura Batcha, Executive Director and CEO of the Organic Trade Association (OTA) recently at the first-ever Organic Produce Summit, held in Monterey, California.
Digging deep into the produce aisle, Batcha gave a State of the Organic Produce presentation on Thursday, unveiling the findings of a report on the produce-buying habits of Americans compiled for the Organic Trade Association by Nielsen, the global information and measurement company.
According to the OTA 2016 Organic Industry Survey released in May, fresh organic produce sales in the U.S. reached $13 billion in 2015. (Total sales of organic fruits and vegetables, including fresh, frozen and canned, amounted to $14.4 billion.) The $13-billion market includes $5.7 billion worth of organic produce sold in the mass market (supermarkets, big-box stores, warehouse clubs), $4.7 billion sold by specialty and natural retailers, and $2.7 billion in direct sales (farmers’ markets, CSAs, online).
Nielsen measures organic sales primarily from the mass market, and puts organic produce sales at $5.5 billion. The Nielsen figures do not include specialty and natural retailers, nor direct sales. Further, Nielsen’s data reflect grocery coding systems, which are based on retailer description and in which organic can be under-represented.
The Nielsen figures, however, delve down to the specific types of organic vegetable or organic fruit sold, providing detailed information on the buying habits of consumers in the major category of supermarkets and big-box stores.
Since 2011, the sales of produce in this country have increased over 25 percent. Convenience, a greater awareness of the health benefits of produce, and an increased interest in local food sources largely contributed to the increase. And driven by the desire to improve upon already healthy food choices, organic fruit sales have soared 123 percent during that time, while organic vegetable sales have jumped by 92 percent.
The U.S. organic industry saw its largest dollar gain ever in 2015, adding $4.2 billion in sales. Total organic food sales in the U.S. were $39.7 billion, up 11 percent from the previous year. Organic produce sales accounted for 36 percent of the organic market. Almost 13 percent of all the produce sold in the United States now is organic.
The Nielsen findings showed that today’s organic produce shopper tends to be more kid-focused than the average produce shopper, and that the huge majority of these enthusiastic organic produce buyers – 77 percent – are going to their favorite grocery store or supermarket chain to buy their organic fruits and vegetables.
The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is the membership-based business association for organic agriculture and products in North America. OTA is the leading voice for the organic trade in the United States, representing over 8,500 organic businesses across 50 states. Its members include growers, shippers, processors, certifiers, farmers’ associations, distributors, importers, exporters, consultants, retailers and others. OTA’s Board of Directors is democratically elected by its members. OTA’s mission is to promote and protect ORGANIC with a unifying voice that serves and engages its diverse members from farm to marketplace.
PALMETTO, FL — Port Manatee will have Del Monte fruit as a tenant for up to 20 more years.
Del Monte Fresh Produce NA Inc., , has signed a lease extension through Aug. 30, 2021 with Florida’s Port Manatee.
The company has imported fruit through the port since 1989. Under the agreement Del Monte has options for three additional five-year extensions. If all options are exercised, Del Monte will be doing business at Port Manatee until at least 2036.
The lease agreement will continue to pay the port $108,000 a year.
“Extension of Port Manatee’s long-term partnership with Del Monte demonstrates the mutual commitment on the part of our port and a most-valued tenant,” said Betsy Benac, chairwoman of the Manatee County Port Authority, which OK’d the lease extension recently.
“We are very pleased to continue our relationship with Port Manatee,” said Brian Giuliani, Del Monte’s Port Manatee-based port manager. “The cooperation with Port Manatee is exceptional and has been vital to the growth of our business at Port Manatee.”
Since 1989, Del Monte, based in Coral Gables, FL, has moved 8.7 million short tons* of cargo through the port, and the company’s distribution center there has become the company’s second-largest U.S. facility.
One of the North America’s largest marketers and distributors of fresh produce and the world’s No. 1 marketer of fresh pineapple, Del Monte uses refrigerated ships to import bananas and pineapples from Central America weekly.
Export cargo on the Del Monte ships includes liner board that is used for packaging, as well as various third-party containers and project cargo.
Del Monte is one of the world’s leading producers, marketers and distributors of high-quality fresh and fresh-cut fruit and vegetables, as well as a leading producer and distributor of prepared fruit and vegetables, juices, beverages and healthy snacks in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the countries formerly part of the Soviet Union.
*The short ton is a unit of weight equal to 2,000 pounds (907.18474 kg), that is most commonly used in the United States where it is known simply as the ton.
The parade of new apple names already in the nation’s supermarkets is indeed a long one. Now there is Cosmic Crisp. It will be joining Envy, Ambrosia, SnapDragon, SweeTango, Kiku, Smitten, RubyFrost, Kanzi and Junami brands, which doesn’t cover them all.In fact, they are being joined by about 80 newer apples arriving from world production areas this year alone.
Looking ahead, say, three or four years, from Washington state there will be the supermarket arrival of Cosmic Crisp.
This apple with the out-of-this world name is generating huge notice in the Washington apple industry, and commercial planting won’t even start until next year.
That’s right — even though its first trees are yet to be planted, Cosmic Crisp has received tons of industry discussion and media coverage. And this is exposure even outside of traditional agricultural outlets, extending to urban broadcasts.
Yes, the reasons are multiple, which illustrates that Comic Crisp isn’t just another new apple. Hopes are it may be the next Honeycrisp in popularity, but it also represents a completely new and innovative apple introduction system.
First there’s the apple itself. A cross between Honeycrisp and Enterprise, it was developed by Washington State University tree fruit research going back nearly 20 years.
The first Cosmic Crisp won’t be available to consumers until 2020, most likely, and will be sharing the same harvest window as red delicious.
With the widespread attention going to this apple, along with red delicious being one showing its age against certain other newer apples on the market (Can you say “Honeycrisp?”), the buzz surrounding Cosmic Crisp will likely become even more pronounced as its baby trees become more adult.
by Glen and Lori Hunt
EUGENE, Ore. — When Glen and Lori Hunt see a problem, they solve it. When that problem is related to food, they put their years of experience in the restaurant business to work to invent a product that’s as useful for families with children as it is for commercial kitchens. Introducing a watermelon slicer.
“I have always had an inventing mind, and one day I thought there just had to be a better way to cut watermelon. It’s a great fruit, but it rolls around and can be dangerous because it’s so unstable.”
Anyone who’s ever struggled to keep a large watermelon on the counter to slice it in half recognizes the problem, and the unwieldy fruit is especially difficult for kids to handle. When well-meaning parents attempt to pre-slice watermelon for the next day’s lunch boxes, results are often disappointing. “You just end up with a mushy mess,” explains Lori. “A lot goes to waste, and that’s a problem for families trying feed their kids healthy foods on a budget.”
The Hunts are no strangers to tight budgets. One-time restaurateurs with four locations and 17 years of success in a competitive industry, their luck turned during the recession in 2009. “Staring over at age 50-plus has been really tough, to say the least. We lost everything: house, cars and businesses. But we tightened our belts and kept moving forward,” says Glen. “We’re always looking ahead together as a family.”
That focus on the future led Glen to invent not just a watermelon slicer, but an entire watermelon storage system. The One Slice Watermelon Slicer comes with a base to stabilize the fruit, while the slicer top doubles as a seal to keep the flesh moist and intact between servings. “You just pop the whole thing in the fridge, and it stays fresh for up to a week with no fuss,” says Lori.
The device also removes the rind if desired. To prove that One Slice is easy enough for a child to operate, the Hunts’ daughter Alena takes on a starring role in the video demonstration on Kickstarter. It takes just 10 seconds for her to slice and de-rind an after-school snack, which she hopes will encourage more kids to reach for a healthy choice whenever they can. “I think kids want to eat things that taste good, as long as it’s easy for them to do,” she says.
The Hunts are hoping to raise $65,000 on Kickstarter to fund wider production and sales of their invention. Interested investors can visit the Hunts’ Kickstarter page to learn more about the product, watch a video demonstration and reserve their own One Slice Watermelon Slicer. Early bird pricing is $25 for the first 500 backers; standard pricing is $29.
The fundraising period for the One Slice Watermelon Slicer ends at 10:26 a.m. on October 27.
Here is a look at a number of different produce loading opportunities from around the United States.
Washington Fruit Shipments
Both of the new crops from apples and pears are increasing in volume from the Yakima and Wenatchee valleys. Over 2,000 truck load equivalents of apples are being shipped weekly.
Washington fruit – grossing about $4300 to Dallas.
Michigan Apples
Michigan apple shipments are moving in steady volume from week to week, averaging about 250 truck loads — mostly from Western Michigan.
Melon Shipments
Cantaloupe and honeydew loads, primarily from the Westside district in the San Joaquin Valley of California have been very good this year, although a seasonal decline is now underway. Still, something like 1,000 loads of cantaloupe should be shipped this week. Meanwhile, the new season harvest has just got underway from Central Arizona for both cantaloupe and honeydew. The new season from the Yuma should be starting the second week of October.
San Joaquin Valley melons and grapes – grossing about $5100 to Atlanta.
Texas Grapefruit
In South Texas with the fall season, comes grapefruit shipments. The harvest has just got underway and it will be the last half of October before there are volume loadings. Literally dozens of different tropical fruits and vegetables from Mexico are crossing into the Lower Rio Grand Valley for distribution mostly to the Midwest and eastern portions of the U.S. and Canada. However, volume is pretty light on most items. Mexican limes are averaging about 375 truck loads weekly, while vine ripe tomatoes account for around 500 truck loads per week.
Mexican fruit and vegetables through South Texas – grossing about $3600 to New York City.
Colorado Produce Shipments
San Luis Valley potato loadings are amounting to about 750 truck loads per week. Northeast Colorado has a sizeable dry onion crop each year. There is currently very light movement that will be increasing in the weeks ahead.
Colorado potatoes – grossing about $2100 to Chicago.
South Georgia Vegetable Shipments
Harvest has just started, or will get underway shortly for fall vegetables ranging from sweet corn, to cucumbers, greens, bell peppers and squash. Even when volume kicks in later this month, this is fall volume, and typically involves multiple pick ups.