Posts Tagged “feature”
U.S. imported Mexican mangoes will increase dramatically through the spring and into the summer.
Peru’s mango shipments to the U.S. are winding down after peaking in late January. Due to heavy Peruvian mango volumes some imports from Mexico by the U.S. have been delayed.
The Mango Board reports Peru’s volume to the U.S. will increase by approximately 61 percent over to last year, from approximately 12 million boxes to 19.3 million boxes (4 kilograms/box).
Mexico’s eventual volume will be much bigger than Peru.
Mexican mango shipments to the U.S. have increased from just 277,000 metric tons in 2015 to 368,000 metric tons in 2019. Mexican mango shipments to the U.S. in 2019 were nearly 5 percent higher than 2018 shipments, the USDA reports.
In 2019, Mexico mango shipments to the U.S. reached a peak in July, when 18 percent of Mexico’s annual volume was shipped. After July, top volume months for Mexican mango shipments to the U.S. were June (16 percent), May (15 percent), August (15 percent) and April (12 percent).
With per capita mango availability rising from about half a pound in 1990 to more than three pounds in 2017, U.S. distributors believe there is room to increase imports of Mexican mangoes.
Mexico accounts for about two-thirds of total U.S. mango imports.
2019 Mexican Mango Imports
In 2019, Mexico exported 82 million boxes of mangoes to the U.S., which was an increase of 5 percent over the previous year.
Volume projections for quarter are expected to be similar to last year’s 10 million boxes, except the Michoacan season is delayed by two to three weeks, which will shift its volumes from March to April.
Looking Ahead
Ciruli Bros. of Nogales, AZ recently received it first shipment of ataulfo mangoes from Chiapas to south Texas and Nogales. The company now has good supplies of yellow mangoes from Chiapas that will continue into April for Easter, April 12th.
Mexican yellow mango volume should be about 15 percent higher than a year ago in March.
With Mexican mango imports recently growing 8 to 10 percent a year, Ciruli Bros. expects to have higher double-digit growth in mango volume this year.
South Texas onion shipments are now underway and the region has had favorable growing conditions
Acreage has been trending downward with about 6,000 acres of plantings. It wasn’t that long ago there was around 7,000 acres.
Good shipments are seen for a few months.
The Onion House LLC in Weslaco, Texas reports on its better crops in over four decades due to nearly perfect growing conditions, limited rain and moderate temperatures.
Observers cited several reasons for the decline ranging from low markets, to labor shortages, pests, disease and urbanization resulting from dramatic population growth in the Lone Star State. This is particularly true with onion production areas closer to metropolitan areas — such as Austin, San Antonio or the Rio Grande Valley. This means farmers are having to weigh the trade-off between continuing agriculture or moving into real estate. Still, much of the acreage is located in relatively remote areas.
Bland Farms of Glennville, GA grows onions on about 300 acres in South Texas, and has a normal crop. The company began shipping Mexican onions in mid February and now was starting with its Texas product. Bland expects to start its Vidalia onion loadings from Southeast Georgia in mid April.
South Texas onions and Mexican produce crossings this week have increased by double digits to many destinations (20 percent plus to some) – grossing about $6000 to New York City.
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SINGAPORE – Carrier Transicold, with Chiquita, successfully completed live cargo shipments for the new EverFRESH® active controlled atmosphere system, transporting fully loaded containers of bananas from Panama to the Netherlands. Carrier Transicold is a part of Carrier, a leading global provider of innovative heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC), refrigeration, fire, security and building automation technologies.
Chiquita shipped bananas using 40-foot, high-cube containers equipped with Carrier Transicold PrimeLINE® refrigeration units. The EverFRESH systems were programmed to maintain oxygen levels at 5% and carbon dioxide at 4%. Temperature, gas and humidity concentrations were monitored continuously throughout the 17-day shipments.
Significantly, the containers used in the shipments were not new and had some degree of air leakage due to normal wear and tear, making them more representative of typical containers used throughout the global fleet. Positive-pressures generated by the installed EverFRESH system helped offset issues related to leakage from the existing containers.
“Through multiple trials, the EverFRESH system delivered on its promise to create a controlled atmosphere balance that could be sustained throughout the voyage,” said Stefano Di Paolo, president, Great White Fleet, Chiquita. “The speed at which the EverFRESH system reduced oxygen levels to slow ripening and its ability to maintain high humidity were impressive.”
Jim Taeckens, senior product manager, Global Container Refrigeration, Carrier Transicold, said, “In the shipments, container humidity levels were maintained as high as 90%, a feat other active atmosphere control systems can struggle with, which can potentially lead to a loss of fruit moisture content. We are pleased to have had the opportunity to work with Chiquita on this trial, successfully demonstrating the EverFRESH system’s ability to protect and preserve their valuable cargo en route to consumers in Europe.”
Introduced in November 2019, Carrier Transicold’s new EverFRESH system builds on the first generation EverFRESH system introduced 25 years ago. Today’s EverFRESH system continues to help preserve the quality of perishables beyond what refrigeration alone can do by actively managing oxygen and carbon dioxide levels to slow respiration and the natural ripening of the commodity inside. Moreover, it does so more affordably than the previous EverFRESH system. As an active system, it generates nitrogen to more quickly and responsively displace oxygen, rather than relying on respiration alone to gradually reduce oxygen levels.
The new EverFRESH system will be available in the first quarter for Carrier Transicold PrimeLINE refrigeration systems equipped with the Micro-Link® 5 controller option. For more information, visit www.transicold.carrier.com.
About Carrier Transicold
Carrier Transicold helps improve transport and shipping of temperature-controlled cargoes with a complete line of equipment and services for refrigerated transport and cold chain visibility. 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, direct-drive and diesel truck units, and trailer refrigeration systems. Carrier Transicold is a part of Carrier, a leading global provider of innovative HVAC, refrigeration, fire, security and building automation technologies. For more information, visit www.transicold.carrier.com. Follow Carrier on Twitter: @SmartColdChain.
LOXAHATCHEE, FL – A new tag team enters the fresh produce ring. J&J Family of Farms, a locally grown, nationally-known marketer and distributor of fresh produce, announced a new partnership with Tifton, Georgia-based Lewis Taylor Farms. With a new alliance formed, Lewis Taylor Farms brings superior production with 6,500 acres of produce as well as 81 greenhouses for 275 million vegetable transplants and 65 million pine tree seedlings.
According to the press release, J&J’s new partnership with Lewis Taylor will expand its portfolio significantly in the form of greens, broccoli, mini watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew. Lewis Taylor, in turn, gains a powerful ally in the peppers, cucumbers, squash, and eggplant categories.
Lewis Taylor began farming operations in the 1930s and is now one of the largest privately-owned vegetable and greenhouse operations in the Southeast. Known for its focus on sustainable agriculture, Lewis Taylor Farms maintains the highest quality and standards to ensure the best product reaches customers.
Together, the J&J Family of Farms and Lewis Taylor Farms have more than 100 years of combined experience specializing in fresh produce and innovation. J&J Family of Farms is strategically positioned as a national supplier, with a robust line of products offered year-round to meet growing customer demand.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Modern supermarkets with their many open displays of fruits and vegetables are truly a marvel and a reminder that our nation enjoys the safest and most abundant food supply in the world. However, in the face of the current nationwide COVID-19 outbreak, many questions about the safety of fresh fruits and vegetables have arisen.
According to Amanda Deering, an Extension specialist in Purdue’s Department of Food Science, current research indicates that the virus is not foodborne or food-transmitted.
“From all indications, the virus that causes COVID-19 appears to be transmitted just like other viruses,” Deering said. “This is very positive in that the same practices that we normally use to reduce contamination risk, such as washing your hands and washing fruit and vegetables before eating, should be applicable to reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19.”
Scott Monroe, Purdue Extension food safety educator, points out that many produce growers already incorporate good agricultural practice that reduce the risk of contamination by a human pathogen.
“While viruses may be transmitted from surfaces, most growers take steps to prevent contamination. At this point in time, fear of COVID-19 should not be a reason to stop purchasing fresh fruits and vegetables,” he said.
Although the risk is small that any individual would contract COVID-19 from selecting fresh produce, Deering and Monroe recommend the following steps to further reduce the risk:
- Frequent hand-washing effectively reduces risk. After a trip to the supermarket, make sure to wash your hands, especially if tongs or other shared utensils are used.
- Try not to manipulate produce items. While part of the buying experience is feeling, touching and manipulating the produce, this may increase the probability of a pathogen being deposited on or acquired from the produce.
- Consumers who are immunocompromised should consider purchasing pre-packaged fruits and vegetables as an added measure of caution or choose to eat cooked fruits and vegetables at this time.
- All produce items should be washed thoroughly before consumption.
The incorporation of fresh fruits and vegetables into one’s diet has consistently been shown to increase overall health, including the immune system. Staying healthy increases the body’s ability to fight infections. By taking a few common-sense precautions, such as frequent hand-washing and washing of produce, consumers can continue to reap the health benefits of fresh fruits and vegetables without incurring excessive risk of acquiring COVID-19.
Organic strawberries continue to gain popularity with consumers; in fact, marketers moved 6.2 million pounds more organic berries in 2018 than in 2017. This is according to data from IRI/FreshLook Marketing.
More than one-tenth of sales of the fruit came from organic sales in 2018, even though the average retail price of organic strawberries fell 17 cents during that 12-month period.
Periodic purchases of organic strawberries did not vary much when studying income; age played a bigger factor. Shoppers younger than age 40 were twice as likely to always buy organic strawberries as those age 50-58, and the gap doubled again for those age 59 and older.
When considering region, Western shoppers were the most likely to buy organic strawberries at least some of the time, followed by those in the Northeast—a trend that continues from last year.
Consumers continue to look for organic strawberries; in fact, marketers moved 6.2 million pounds more organic berries in 2018 than in 2017, according to data from IRI/FreshLook Marketing. More than one-tenth of sales of the fruit came from organic sales in 2018, even though the average retail price of organic strawberries fell 17 cents during that 12-month period.
Periodic purchases of organic strawberries did not vary much when studying income; age played a bigger factor. Shoppers younger than age 40 were twice as likely to always buy organic strawberries as those age 50-58, and the gap doubled again for those age 59 and older.
When considering region, Western shoppers were the most likely to buy organic strawberries at least some of the time, followed by those in the Northeast—a trend that continues from last year.
Asian consumers comprised the most likely group to buy organic strawberries periodically, followed by Hispanic consumers. Asians were also the most likely to buy strawberries as exclusively organic.
Families with children living at home were a bit more likely to always buy organic berries, at 11%, than those without kids, at 8%.
Chilean fruit exports to the United State plunged by 10 percent in 2019.
With a value of $929 million, the USDA reports Chilean fruit exported to the U.S. has consistently exceeded a billion dollars, so the decrease marks the first time it has been lower than a billion in five years.
Chilean orange exports to the U.S. is the primary citrus item shipped with value of $159 million, accounting for a 23 percent decline for 2019. However, this may be a larger trend of less imports into the U.S. in general as, for example, the second citrus exporter to the country, South Africa, saw its citrus exports fall 37 percent in the same year.
As for table grapes, there are three main time frames for U.S. imports. From April 1 through June, Chile was in second place for table grape origin for the country with $192.8 million in total value. Chilean grape exports to the U.S. had an increase of 1 percent compared to the previous year during this time.
However, it is significant to note other periods for grapes experienced a dip of 43 percent in the second period. Peru also surpassed Chile in table grape imports during that time.
But in the last trimester of U.S. table grape imports, Chile was the first country of origin for the U.S. even though export figures decreased by 5 percent during the same period. In the other important category for Chile, cherries declined by 12 percent in export value, making about the same amount as in 2017 with $27.8 million in 2019.
While Chilean citrus, table grapes and cherries saw declines in 2019, apples noted a rise in exports. With a value of $75.8 million, Chilean apple exports to the U.S. increased by 27 percent.
A significant 14 percent more U.S. fresh apples remain in storages to be shipped this year, which is 7 percent greater than the five-year average.
In its fifth storage report of the 2019-20 season, the U.S. Apple Association reports fresh inventories on March 1 are 74.4 million cartons, 14 percent up from 65.1 million cartons last year and 2.3 percent higher than the 72.7 million cartons on hand two years ago.
In comparison with year-ago levels, U.S. Apple reported March 1 inventories of:
- Fuji: 9.77 million cartons, up 21 percent;
- Gala: 15,80 million cartons, up 23 percent;
- Granny smith: 9.6 million cartons, up 29 percent;
- Honeycrisp: 6.48 million cartons, up 28 percent;
- Cripps pink/Pink Lady: 3.75 million cartons, up 4 percent;
- Red delicious: 16.39 million cartons, down 12 percent.
Peruvian citrus exports are building as the season moves further into March. Volumes are seen as being similar to last year when movement increased 2 percent. This season about a 5 percent increase is forecast.
Procitrus, Peru’s Citrus Producer’s Association, points out mandarin exports, represent 81 percent of all fruit in the category. Behind mandarins are oranges with 11 percent of all citrus exports and limes with 7 percent.
Main primary export markets for Peruvian citrus remain the U.S. – with 35 percent market share – the U.K. – 19 percent – and Holland – 16 percent. While these markets remain pretty consistent for the industry, exporters continue looking for new markets.
Weather also looks to be favorable for the season and the industry anticipates strong quality and quantity.
Los Angeles, California – Jackfruit is the largest tree-borne fruit on the planet. Native to the warm climates of Southeastern Asia, each fruit on average grows to be about 50 pounds and contain hundreds of editable fruit pods. The unique flavor of these pods has been described as a blend of mango-pineapple-banana and juicy fruit gum! However, these tasty fruit pods are difficult to extract as spiny, sticky antennae-like filaments surround the fleshy pods of fruit, not to mention the unwieldy size of each fruit.
Jackfruit is gaining interest among professional chefs as a unique ingredient and now Melissa’s makes this unusual fruit available to the retail consumer in a no-mess, 8 oz. container of all fruit pods. Because of the pods’ meaty texture, Jackfruit has become a popular meat substitute cooked just like meat, though it can also be enjoyed uncooked out of hand or as a flavorful component in a fruit salad.
Melissa’s Produce is the leading U.S. variety distributor of specialty and organic fresh produce and products. The company imports exotic fruits and vegetables from around the world. Melissa’s Produce can be contacted at 1.800.588.0151 or at www.melissas.com.