Posts Tagged “feature”
Volumes from California are ramping up, reaching 15.5 million pounds in week 20. In terms of imports, Colombia is second to Mexico, with 3.3 million pounds imported into the U.S. during week 20. Peru earned third place for imports with 2.4 million pounds.
The latest report from Avobook shows that in week 20, Mexican avocado exports to the U.S. dropped below 40 million pounds for the first time since 2023, reaching 33.4 million pounds.
Projections from the Hass Avocado Board show that volumes from Peru should peak between weeks 29 and 31, reaching 18 million pounds.
Colombia is currently at its peak season, and volumes are expected to remain above 1 million pounds per week until August.
In week 20, Mexican avocado exports to the U.S. were lower than in 2023, when the country exported around 45 million pounds.
California’s Avocado Commission report they expect good volumes through the July 4th holiday, after which shipments will decrease.
“Demand in April was quite strong and the percentage of the crop harvested this year is ahead of last year. In early May, about 25% of the California avocado crop has been picked,” said Terry Splane, vice president of marketing for the California Avocado Commission.
The report shows outside the U.S., Canada is the main destination of Mexican avocados. The state of Michoacan has sent 58% of its exports (excluding the U.S.) to Canada.
Jalisco exported over 60% of its avocados to the U.S. between weeks 1 and 15 of 2024, followed by Canada with just over 17%.
For Michoacan, Asia is its second-largest export market, with almost 25% of its exports (excluding the U.S.).
The total inventory of conventional and organic Hass avocados registered in the U.S. on week 20 was 67.7 million pounds of which 37 million pounds came from Mexico, 24 million from California, and 4.7 million from Colombia. The remainder came from the Dominican Republic and Peru.
Sales in week 20 rose to 53.2 million pounds.
Last month the California Cantaloupe Advisory Board (CCAB) introduced an exciting new concept for a meatless burger to attendees at the International Fresh Produce Association/Foundation for Fresh Produce (FFP) Consumer Connection Conference in Dinuba, CA.
“What better place to roll out our new campaign featuring this unique vegan burger made from fresh cantaloupe?” said Garrett Patricio, Chairman of CCAB and President of year-round melon supplier, Westside/Classic. “This group already understands that fresh produce suppliers can gain new customers, especially younger ones, with exciting ideas for using fresh produce.”
As part of the the Consumer Connection Conference, Emily Holdorf, influencer and community manager for FFP, shared data showing that Gen Z consumers are more health-focused than other generations. As an example, they are under indexing in alcohol consumption and over indexing in meat alternatives.
“This is exactly why we tapped New York-based Chef Will Horowitz who has developed a series of interesting meatless options using fresh produce like prosciutto made from radishes, hot dogs from carrots and even a watermelon ham,” said Marilyn Freeman, Farmers Communications Exchange, which serves as the marketing and public relations firm for the CCAB. “We were really excited for the produce industry members and influencers attending Consumer Connection to meet Will and to try the cantaloupe burger.”
Will Horowitz, the creator of the cantaloupe burger is an acclaimed New York based chef, food writer and culinary consultant.
Hailed by the NY Times in a 2016 front-cover exposé as a “fearless explorer of all things culinary.” He is most known as the former owner of well-awarded New York City restaurants Ducks Eatery and Harry & Ida’s Meat and Supply Co. And he is the inventor of multiple international food products and viral social media sensations. He specializes in integrating heritage food techniques and ingredients into modern renewable practices.
“For me as a chef, we want consumers to have all the options they are looking for. With the rise of vegan and plant-based diets, restaurants really don’t have a lot of options,” explains Horowtiz. “With items like the cantaloupe burger, we can take whole vegetables and whole fruits and prepare them using old processes like smoking, barbecuing and grilling. For us that’s much more of a natural route than taking something that is over-processed or created in some sort of laboratory and really isn’t in the same ethos as a farm-to-table restaurant.”
“We heard about Will and his watermelon “ham” that went viral back in 2018 before his restaurants closed during the pandemic,” explains Patricio. “But when we learned he had developed a cantaloupe burger, we were intrigued. After speaking with him about how and why he creates these products, we knew he would be a great fit with cantaloupe farmers and the produce industry in general.”
“We designed the cantaloupe burger so that consumers can look at this fruit in a completely new, reimagined way,” explains Horowitz. “In this concept, we wanted cantaloupe to really be the star of the plate. And people love burgers.
“The cantaloupe burger came about simply because of how much moisture was in the melon and how delicious they are from the start,” Horowitz continues. “We started by taking slightly under ripe cantaloupe, curing it and smoking it, so that when you bit into it, it wasn’t too sweet. I wouldn’t say it’s a replica of a burger. It’s really its own beautiful thing.”
The CCAB campaign has dubbed this smoked cantaloupe burger the Possible Burger. The recipe is posted on the organization’s website and this summer it will be promoted widely on social media. A how-to video, consumer giveaways, and more information about Will and why he created this concept will be coming soon.
“We started out letting the marketing professionals attending Consumer Connection try the burger,” said Freeman. “It was really well received and a lot of people were truly surprised at how great it tastes. A video of conference attendees experiencing the Possible Burger for the first time is featured here.”
According to the CCAB, this recipe can be made at home.
“We hope consumers will suspend their previous beliefs about cantaloupe and give this a try. Why not?” says Patricio.
The 2024 California Almond Forecast published May 10 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA-NASS) estimates the crop harvested in 2024 will come in at 3 billion pounds, 21% higher than last year’s 2.47 billion pounds.
The forecasted yield is 2,170 pounds per acre, up 380 pounds from the 2023 harvest.
“This larger crop estimate is what the industry expected after a productive bloom this spring, but it is also a testament to the hard work done by almond farmers throughout California during difficult times,” said Clarice Turner, president and CEO of the Almond Board of California. “Demand for California almonds around the globe continues to grow and our almond farmers constantly deliver on producing high-quality California almonds to meet that demand.”
The report said, “The 2024 almond crop experienced fluctuating, but mostly favorable weather for the first half of the growing season. The bloom began the second week in February for the early varieties. There were a handful of storms that brought rain, wind, and hail to some areas, but overall mild temperatures and excellent weather from the end of February into early March helped boost pollination. Bee hours were reported to be significantly higher than last year … There was minimal to no threat of frost damage and water allocation is not an issue for the second year in a row.
This Subjective Forecast is the first of two production reports from USDA-NASS for the coming crop year. It is an estimate based on opinions from a survey conducted from April 19 to May 5 of 500 randomly selected California almond growers. The sample of growers, which changes every year, is spread across regions and different-sized operations, and they had the option to report their data by mail, online, or phone.
On July 10, USDA-NASS will release its second production estimate, the 2024 California Almond Objective Report, which will be based on actual almond counts in approximately 1,000 orchards using a more statistically rigorous methodology to determine yield. If the 3.0 billion pounds holds, it would be the second largest crop on record.
This Subjective Forecast comes two weeks after Land IQ’s 2024 Standing Acreage Initial Estimate found that bearing almond acreage in California has decreased about 600 acres from the previous year to 1.373 million acres.
Stemilt Growers of Wenatchee, WA is completing its transition from California cherry shipments to Washington cherry loadings.
As one of the nation’s largest suppliers of sweet cherries and a leader in Washington cherries, Stemilt grows conventional and organic cherries and three main types of sweet cherries that include dark-sweet, rainiers and proprietary Skylar Rae cherries. The marketer also is a leader in organic cherries.
Washington began loading cherries in early June and have a good supply in June and July. Washington’s cherry volume will taper off significantly in August because of a reduced late-season crop.
Stemilt says it has the longest season in the industry, with continuous supply daily that starts with its California cherry crop in late April and goes all the way through high-elevation cherries in Washington in August.
Last year’s cherry crop was difficult because of an overlap between California and Washington and compressed harvest windows in Washington, but 2024 crop is different.
California had a strong crop last year and returned with another one. The crop is currently estimated at 10.2 million 18-pound equivalent boxes. The first-round industry estimate in the Northwest was 20.9 million 20-pound equivalent boxes, which is an increase over last year.
The main difference is that the two states should see less overlap and retailers will have more shipping weeks in the season.
July will see good supplies of cherries, but volume will taper off quickly by August.
This is because high altitude orchards experienced a freeze in January that led to winter damage and significantly reduced crops. Excellent fruit quality and size is expected.
Washington’s late-cherry season is short, so the season will wrap earlier than normal. Sizing should be strong with average crop loads on the tree. Stemilt will harvest fewer Washington cherries this year because of the late-season loss.
Findings from a research program have shown that regular grape consumption is beneficial to heart, brain, skin, colon and immune health.
A study published in 2023 in scientific journal Food & Function that looked at the impact of regular grape consumption on biomarkers for eye health found that eating grapes for 16 weeks improved key markers for eye health in older adults, reports the California a Table Grape Commission of Fresno, CA.
Findings have been published in peer-reviewed journals such as Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, Journal of Cancer Management and Research and Journal of Nutrition Research.
The California Table Grape Commission will focus on the health benefits of the Golden State’s table grapes as it launches its 2024-25 global marketing campaign, said Kathleen Nave, commission president.
The campaign, designed to drive demand for California table grapes, will target the U.S. and 21 export markets.
“Consumer research conducted in 2023 in the U.S. and 12 export markets showed that, in all markets, grape purchasers were motivated to purchase fresh grapes by knowing grapes have health benefits,” the commission noted. “Therefore, health messaging is a key component of the marketing campaign, and a new campaign focused on healthy snacking will launch with the new season.”
The commission is celebrating 25 years of its grape and health research program this year.
The California Table Grape Commission sees no reason why there shouild be good volume grape shipments though the end of the year. The season started in the Coachella Valley the week of May 13.
Hurricane Hilary hammered the grape crop last season, the industry during the peak harvest period, which caused a loss of about 30% of the initial projection for the crop. It was the smallest crop on record since 1994 for the state.
This year, the industry expects good volumes from June through the beginning of January.
The grape commission expects harvesting is to begin in the San Joaquin Valley in late June or early July, lasting into early December. Shipments of table grapes typically peak between August and November.
The initial estimate for the 2024 California table grape season is 94.4 million 19-pound boxes, down slightly from the 2020-2022 average of 96.6 million 19-pound boxes.
By Michael Patrick ALC Corp.
When thinking about the future of logistics, especially 3rd Party Logistics, I always stop and consider how analytics plays a role. Well, truth be told, they play a very large and important role in the success of the organization. Analytics help to mitigate risk, direct the need for forecasting accuracy, and drive cost efficiencies. At the end of the day all these things are important, but the biggest reason logistics companies use analytics is to meet ever-evolving customer expectations, underscoring the customer-centric approach of these companies.
Forecasting is a really hot topic in the logistics industry. Different types of organizations use all kinds of forecasting. Manufacturers use demand forecasts to set production schedules and manage inbound raw materials. This helps with routing guides and warehousing. “Through data analytics, logistics companies can identify and mitigate potential risks in the supply chain, such as disruption, delays and quality issues.” There is also a need for volume forecasts for RFPs (Request for Pricing) and pricing decisions. It seems like everyone in logistics wants some type of pricing forecast. Suppliers want forecast pricing to gauge budget levels, truckers want forecast pricing to help with asset placement, and third-party companies want forecast pricing to respond to RFPs and help indicate potential earning numbers.
With the increase in fraud in the logistics industry it is more important than ever to be on your toes when it comes to mitigating risk. Criminals are growing daily and are getting increasingly bold in their thirst to create havoc in the industry. They are using email addresses that closely resemble real company emails, cell phones that cannot be tracked, and teammates on the inside of suppliers to steal goods from warehouses and even steal entire trailers. When these trailers are found, they are empty, and the items are gone. They are targeting not just valuables like electronics but also loads of vacuum cleaners and clothing. These items are easily sold on the second-hand market. Analytics can be used to identify and utilize carriers with the appropriate level of insurance and vendors with good ratings.
Customers, suppliers, and logistics organizations will continue to rely on analytics to improve efficiencies, grow profits, and create forecasting to meet customers’ ever-changing expectations. With the transportation industry being a moving target, investing in in-house analytics is a great solution to streamline data and adapt to market trends.
*****
Michael Patrick started with the Allen Lund Company in January 2018 as a senior business analyst. He has over 25 years of third-party logistics and supply chain management experience. Patrick has a B.S. in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing from Winthrop University and a Masters in Business Administration from The Citadel.
michael.patrick@allenlund.com
Florida avocado growers are predicting for the new season volume similar are slightly above a year ago as they gear up for the 2024-25 harvest.
The Avocado Administrative Committee of Florida estimate final production totals for the 2023-24 season will total 21,235 metric tons, down 6.6% from the 2022-23 season.
Florida’s avocado season typically runs from June through December, with some available in January, said Peter Leifermann, vice president of sales and marketing for Homestead, Fla.-based Brooks Tropicals.
Brooks Tropicals of Homestead, FL begins harvest this week and expects a good crop.
The offseason has been abnormally dry and hot, but no wind damage has occurred and this should result in excellent quality.
Brooks Tropicals grows about 30 different varieties of tropical avocados in about 1,200 acres of groves.
J&C Tropicals of Doral, FLexpects to start harvesting around the Fourth of July, which would be a normal start. The company also expects great quality for this season.
J&C Tropicals sources green-skin avocados from a number of local farmers and will have Florida avocados until January.
New Limeco of Homestead, FL expects to be shipping avocados through March. It grows several varieties of green-skin avocados in Florida.
Florida growers say they produce a distinctive avocado, with the primary difference between Florida avocados and avocados from California or Mexico is the fat content.
Florida avocados have about 3 grams compared to 4.6 grams of fat for hass avocados.
The size, taste and productivity also are different.
The average Florida avocado weighs over 1 pound per piece and has a milder taste than other avocados.
The California stone fruit season kicked off in early May with available apricots, nectarines, and peaches.
Organically Grown Co. (OGC) of Eugene, OR reported they had stronger volumes of peaches by mid-May.
Cool nights have provided excellent color, as well as good sugar-to-acid ratios, which results in sweet and juicy fruit.
Overall, growers report the weather has been very good this season, which allowed the harvest to start about a week earlier.
Most California stone fruit is in season between May and mid-September, with plums going a bit longer until October.
Last year, California stone fruit hit the peak of its season in mid-August.
California produces more than 80% of the nation’s stone fruit.
70% of America’s peaches are grown in the state, along with 95% of apricots, 95% of fresh plums, and 99% of nectarines. With some counties in the Central Valley devoting as many as 38,000 acres to stone fruit production, California is known as the stone fruit state.
At a national level, the USDA said in September 2023 U.S. production in 2023-24 is forecast down 76,000 tons to 574,000 the lowest level in at least 40 years.
The projection was due to the three largest producer states ‐ California, South Carolina, and Georgia ‐ all experiencing damaging weather, with South Carolina and Georgia suffering from a second consecutive year of destructive freezes.
A new study from Finland has examined the relationship between fruit and vegetable consumption and sleep duration — and the results are mixed.
Both short and longer sleepers reported consuming fewer fruits and vegetables than normal sleepers, the study shows.
The study, according to the research abstract, examined the association between sleep duration and fruit and vegetable consumption among Finnish adults, considering the role of demographic, socio-economic and chronotype as confounders.
Participants in the study reported their habitual sleep duration and dietary consumption through a validated self-administered questionnaire, the abstract said. The study evaluated data from the “National FinHealth 2017 Study” involving 5,043 adults aged 18 years and above.
Average dietary consumption was compared across three sleep duration categories: short, normal and long. The data revealed short sleepers consumed 37 grams (about 1.3 ounces) per day fewer fruits and vegetables than normal sleepers, while long sleepers consumed 73 grams (almost 2.6 ounces) per day fewer fruits and vegetables than normal sleepers.
“Specifically, short sleep was significantly associated with lower consumption of total fruits and vegetables, green leafy vegetables, root vegetables, and fruit vegetables, with similar patterns observed for long sleepers,” the abstract said.
“In conclusion, this study suggests a consistent pattern where deviation from normal sleep duration was associated with decreased fruit and vegetable consumption, suggesting the need for considering sleep patterns in dietary intervention,” the abstract said.
Researchers said more studies are needed to study the association between fruit and vegetable consumption and sleep duration.