Posts Tagged “feature”
If you are a trucker wanting to pick up cargo at the Port of Oakland, you pretty much have to have an appointment now. A third marine terminal operator is now requiring appointments.
TraPac of Wilmington, CA has announced it was requiring appointments for all import container pick-ups. The change became effective December 6th. The purpose of the new appointment system is designed to reduce waiting times by truckers and to more evenly distribute truck arrivals throughout each day at the port.
TraPac becomes the third of four terminals in Oakland to require appointments — the others are Everport and Oakland International Container Terminal. Combined, the three terminals handle more than 90 percent of the containerized cargo moving through the Port of Oakland.
Port of Oakland maritime director John Driscoll praised TraPac for making the change.
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He maintained it is not easy introducing new operating procedures, but customers and harbor truckers benefit whenever the process can be sped up to increase container throughput.
Oakland is one of only a handful of ports nationwide with an appointment system. Oakland port officials say appointments are seen as essential to accelerating cargo flow at ports coping with bigger ships and growing container volumes.
TraPac said truck dispatchers can log on to the nationwide port information system eModal to make appointments. The company said the requirement for appointments applies — for the present — only to loaded import containers. TraPac said truck drivers won’t need reservations for export deliveries or to pick up or return empty containers. It said it will communicate “well in advance” when it plans to expand appointments to all transactions.
Appointments are the second measure implemented at TraPac this fall intended to improve terminal performance. Nearly three months ago, the terminal began opening selective night gates to ease daytime crowding. In October, port commissioners approved a new lease enabling TraPac to double its size in Oakland next year.
U.S. fresh apples remaining in storages to be shipped for the 2016-17 season are up by double digits.
Apples remaining to be shipped as of December 1st were 120.3 million (42-pound) boxes, 13 percent above from a year ago and 12 percent higher than the five-year average of 107.5 million boxes. Total fresh crop shipments for Washington state are now expected to hit 137.88 million boxes. That is nearly 500,000 boxes above the November estimate.
The U.S. Apple Association storage report shows total Washington fresh holdings on December 1st at about 104 million boxes, or about 86 percent of total apples remaining to be shipped in the U.S..
U.S. fresh red delicious supplies on hand were 35.4 million boxes, up 26 percent from a year ago. Gala inventories in the U.S. were 22.9 million boxes, up 28 percent from a year ago. Honeycrisp holdings in the U.S. were 5.58 million boxes, up 29 percent from last year.
Among varieties with reduced volume on hand, U.S. granny smiths at 12.1 million boxes, off 15 percent from a year ago. U.S. golden delicious inventories of 7.2 million boxes were down nine percent compared with a year ago.
Washington Apple Shipments
The 2016 Washington crop is well short of the record 140 million-carton crop of 2014. However, Washington fresh apple shipments are likely eclipse the 2014 record crop in the next few years. In fact, 140-million-box crops are expected to become normal, with the big crop years hitting the 150 million to 160 million box range.
Variety Trends
Looking ahead to future shipping season said some observers believe with rising volume of new proprietary or club apple varieties, it may start to put pressure on gala apples, in addition to hurting retail shelf space for jonagold, braeburn and cameo varieties.
There seems to be a growing belief among many observers that as the apple industry moves into these new premium varieties, gala will be the next one to be hit.
Washington apple and pear shipments from the Yakima and Wenatchee valleys – grossing about $4400 to Chicago; $6600 to New York City.
By Carrier Transicold
ATHENS, GA — For refrigerated haulers who require independent verification of temperatures inside trucks and trailers or immediate documentation for receivers, Carrier Transicold now offers the DataLink™ 2 recorder. Carrier Transicold is a part of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).
For single-temperature or multi-temperature applications, the DataLink 2 system uses up to three independent temperature sensors, providing an added layer of verification beyond the refrigeration system’s built-in recording ability. An integral thermal printer lets drivers quickly and easily produce numerical and graphical trip reports for receivers. Additionally, data can be downloaded into a personal computer for electronic logging.
“Increasingly, haulers of pharmaceuticals, perishable and frozen foods, and other temperature-critical goods are using temperature monitoring and reporting capabilities, with temperature accountability a growing focus following the release of the transportation rules of the Food Safety Modernization Act,” said Mark Fragnito, product manager, controls, Carrier Transicold. “The DataLink 2 recorder may help food distribution operations easily track and manage this kind of information for compliance.”
Beyond its primary use as an independent temperature monitoring and reporting device, the DataLink 2 recorder provides additional advantages as a comprehensive analytical tool when connected to a Carrier Transicold refrigeration unit’s control system. Temperature data captured from its own sensors can be correlated against activities recorded by the control system, helping to identify potential sources of temperature excursions.
“Setpoint changes, defrost cycles, unit alarms, door openings and turning off the refrigeration unit can affect temperatures, and uniquely, the DataLink 2 recorder can capture and report these events alongside temperature data, providing helpful insight into temperature activity inside the truck or trailer,” Fragnito explained.
Designed for plug-and-play simplicity, the DataLink 2 recorder auto-detects which Carrier Transicold controller it is connected to, whether an APX™ or Advance® controller or the standard microprocessor. Setup is done through a “soft menu” system keyed to four buttons located just below the device’s backlit display screen. Two recorder styles are offered: body-mount models that attach to either a truck or trailer cargo area, and an in-dash DIN-mount version for more convenient driver access on straight truck applications.
For more information about the DataLink 2 recorder, turn to the experts within Carrier Transicold’s North America dealer network.
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 45 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 UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp., a leading provider to the aerospace and building systems industries worldwide. For more information, visit www.transicold.carrier.com. Follow Carrier on Twitter: @SmartColdChain.
Here are the current top five fresh potato shipping regions when it comes to volume being loaded on a weekly basis: Idaho, Colorado, Columbia Basin in southern Washington and Umatilla Basin in Northern Oregon, Wisconsin and the Red River Valley.
There’s a reason why Northwest potato shipments are huge for the 2016-17 shipping season. Some call it high yields, others call it over production. And all of this centers around Idaho, the biggest potato producer of them all.,
For this season Idaho harvested 323,000 acres , totaling 13 billion pounds of potatoes — enough to fill 500 football stadiums 10 feet high. This accounts for one-third of all U.S. potatoes. Idaho is now shipping over 2000 truck load equivalents of potatoes a week. Idaho potatoes are easily the biggest volume U.S. produce item currently being shipped.
Idaho potatoes – grossing about $5400 to Boston.
In Colorado’s San Luis Valley, about 750 truck loads of potatoes are being loaded each week.
Colorado potatoes – grossing about $1600 to Dallas.
In Washington state, fresh potato shipments are coming from the Columbia Basin, Skagit Valley, and Klamath Basin. Washington State potato growers boast of the highest yields in the world, but total shipments each week are well below Idaho and even Colorado. About 13 percent of Washington’s overall crop is shipped for the fresh market. Washington’s Columbia Basin and adjacent Umatilla Basin in Oregon is averaging around 500 truck loads of potato shipments weekly. This volume leans heavily towards specialty potatoes.
Columbian Basin/Umatilla Basin potatoes – grossing about $5400 to Atlanta.
Meanwhile, Central Wisconsin accounts for the bulk of the Badger state’s potato shipments – currently averaging about 375 truck loads per week.
Wisconsin potatoes – grossing abut $2600 to Atlanta.
The Red River Valley of eastern North Dakota and western Minnesota is shipping about 175 truck loads of red potatoes each week.
North Dakota and Minnesota Red River Valley potatoes – grossing about $1750 to Chicago.
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Chilean fruit imports to the U.S. are seasonally light this month, but will show significant increases with the New Year.
The main two fruits imported from Chile in December are blueberries and cherries. The biggest item for Chile, are table grapes, which are available January through April. Chilean stone fruit imports are available from February through April.
Chilean blueberry imports are currently very light with the heaviest volume coming in January and February. Through November 6th, 744 tons of fresh Chilean blueberries had been imported by North America. The crop estimate for Chilean blueberries is about 94,000 tons, with North America expected to import around 70 percent of that total.
Chile exported 32.7 million boxes — about 91,038 tons — of fresh blueberries during the 2015-16 season, with North America continuing to be the principal market. Volume shipped to North American continues to increase each season.
In 2015-16, North America imported 69 percent of all Chilean blueberry exports, an increase of three percent over the previous season.
For the 2016-17 season Chile plans to export about 94,000 tons, with North America to receiving around 70 percent of the total.
There is about a six week window for Chilean cherry imports to North American between mid-December and late January. Cherries are also a popular Chinese New Year item, depending on when Chinese New Year falls; In 2017, it is January 28th.
There are no official projections on cherry volumes destined for North America this season, but if weather conditions in Chile remain favorable the total crop export would be around 20 million boxes.
Chile has an excellent fruit production zone because of the natural isolating effects of the landscape of the country – the Atacama Desert in the north, the Andes Mountains to the east, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the ice-fields to the south.
The unique natural geography of the country consisting of separate independent zones of production have enabled Chile to establish high quality fruit production, without the problems of viruses that have blighted the development of the fruit industries in other countries.
Look out Chicago and Dallas, here comes Amazon. The giant company recently announced it is expanding grocery delivery service into these cities. This is the latest in a line of expansions for the service in recent times.
Originally launched in 2007 in Mercer Island, WA, AmazonFresh has gradually expanded over the past eight years into Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, New York City, Philadelphia, and Sacramento, among other areas of the U.S. This year, Amazon has ramped up its market launches, bringing the service to Boston, Northern Virginia, Baltimore, and to London. The latter is its first international launch. The service has also expanded within other markets where it was already available.
To sum it up, AmazonFresh promises to deliver a range of “home” goods — such as fruit and vegetables, and meat — on the same day or the next day, depending on when they are ordered. The service is available to $99/year Prime members, who must also pay an extra $14.99 per month to access AmazonFresh. This add-on monthly fee was recently slashed from a eye opening $300 per year.
Amazon has long been looking to push beyond its ecommerce platform roots and into the broader services realm. More recently, the company has been aggressively expanding its restaurant delivery service that was started in Seattle last year, and it is now available in many cities across the U.S., as well as London. The online company has also been expanding its consumer goods-ordering Dash Buttons program outside the U.S. It was first introduced the Wi-Fi-connected buttons in the U.S. in March 2015. This feature was recently expanded to international markets, kicking off with the United Kingdom, Germany, and Austria.
The ultimate goal is to reach extensively into the lives of consumers everywhere, and by launching AmazonFresh in large urban areas connecting two or more cities such as Chicago or Dallas, the internet giant moves one step closer to being everything to everyone.
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.
by Biing-Hwan Lin and Rosanna Mentzer Morrison
Data on vegetable consumption broken down by income level reveal that individuals (children and adults) in households with incomes below 185 percent of the poverty level consumed smaller quantities of potatoes and tomatoes than people in households with incomes above that level. In 2007-08, lower income individuals consumed 49.3 and 28.1 pounds per person per year of potatoes and tomatoes, respectively, and those with higher incomes consumed 53.8 pounds of potatoes and 32.1 pounds of tomatoes per person. A bigger difference was observed in consumption of other vegetables (nonpotato and nontomato): 85.8 pounds per person for higher income individuals versus 69.8 pounds per person for lower income individuals.
The more educated the adult, the more other vegetables (nonpotato and nontomato) eaten. In 2007-08, college-educated adults consumed 187.4 pounds of total vegetables per person per year, of which 100.7 pounds were other vegetables. Adults with only a high school education ate 181.9 pounds of total vegetables per person, of which 87.6 pounds were other vegetables. Adults who had less than a high school education consumed 158.2 pounds per person of all vegetables, of which 76.3 pounds were other vegetables.
Consumption Trends Consistent Across Demographic Groups for Juice…
Total fruit consumption was lower in 2007-08 than in 1994-98 for all four age and gender groups. For example, girls’ consumption of fruit declined from 131.3 pounds per person per year in 1994-98 to 121.2 pounds in 2007-08. Some of the decline in total fruit consumption was due to less orange juice being drunk by all four groups. Orange juice is the largest fruit category in terms of consumption, and average U.S. consumption fell from the equivalent of 38.3 pounds of oranges per person per year in 1994-98 to 30.9 pounds in 2007-08.
Falling orange juice consumption, however, was not the only driver of declining fruit consumption—declines were common for other fruits as well. Apple juice, berries, and grapes were the only fruits and fruit categories that had higher average U.S. consumption in 2007-08 than in 1994-98. Every demographic group examined displayed the same patterns for apple juice and orange juice consumption—larger quantities of apple juice and smaller quantities of orange juice were consumed in 2007-08 versus 1994-98.
… But Not For Whole Fruits
Trends in whole fruit consumption were not consistent across demographic groups. In this study, whole fruits comprised all categories of fruits consumed, minus orange juice and apple juice. Thus, whole fruit consumption includes a relatively small amount of juices from other fruits, such as pineapple juice and grape juice, in addition to whole fruits. Federal dietary guidance advises that at least half a person’s recommended daily intake of fruits be whole fruits.
Whole fruit consumption declined for the age and gender groups between 1994-98 and 2007-08. For example, boys’ consumption of whole fruits fell from 71.9 pounds per person per year in 1994-98 to 65.4 pounds in 2007-08. For non-college-educated adults, consumption of whole fruits was relatively stable over the period, averaging around 65 pounds per person per year; for college-educated adults, it fell from 93.7 pounds in 1994-98 to 83.2 pounds in 2007-08.
Higher income consumers’ consumption of whole fruit fell from 81.2 pounds per person per year in 1994-98 to 75.7 pounds in 2007-08, whereas lower income individuals consumed similar quantities in both periods. Non-Hispanic Whites and Hispanics’ consumption of whole fruits declined between 1994-98 and 2007-08, while non-Hispanic Blacks’ consumption in the two periods rose from 65.5 to 71.4 pounds per person per year.
Multiple Factors Affect What We Buy and Eat
ERS’s food availability and loss-adjusted food availability data show that Americans are not increasing their intake of fruits and vegetables, despite the exhortations of health and nutrition experts. Federal food intake surveys also point out lower fruit and vegetable consumption. The big question for future research is why? In some cases, one or two particular fruits and vegetables make up much of the decrease. For vegetables, U.S. potato consumption has fallen from 61.3 to 52.0 pounds per person between 1994-98 and 2007-08, with bigger relative drops for boys and no change in potato consumption for non-Hispanic Blacks. Declining orange juice consumption among all demographic groups is the largest contributor to lower fruit consumption.
Substitution among some products is also evident. Head lettuce is down, but leafy greens—such as spinach and kale—are up. Between 1994-98 and 2007-08, consumption of nonpotato and nontomato vegetables by women grew slightly from 85.5 to 87.7 pounds per person per year. For girls, boys, and men, small declines in consumption of nonpotato and nontomato vegetables occurred. Less bananas and citrus fruits are being consumed, but consumption of berries has risen over the decade. Increases in some whole fruits were not enough to offset declines in other fruits, and whole fruit consumption fell for all age and gender groups.
Food choices are complex, and a multitude of factors affect what we buy and eat. Life style changes and time constraints can determine if we sit down with a glass of orange juice for breakfast, grab a banana on the way out, or forgo the meal altogether. Time for and interest in cooking play a role, too. More eating out could mean more fries on the side or consumption of vegetables not usually prepared at home. Dietary fads and widespread popularity of ethnic cuisines can cause shifts in food choices, including for fruits and vegetables.
The price of products and the income available to buy them can also affect a person’s food choices. Smaller food budgets over time or higher prices due to supply constraints or other factors can induce one to switch to a lower priced alternative food item. Observing national trends and patterns for demographic groups is a first step in analyzing what is driving food choice and potential changes over time.
Florida fall vegetable volume for the majority of items is expected to be pretty normal over all, although early season loadings will be lighter than usual.While that is good news, keep in mind that these loadings of items ranging from bell peppers to cucumbers and squash, plus other southern vegetables is relatively light, especially compared to Florida’s primary shipping season for vegetables, which is in the spring. This also results in multiple picks and drops, so keep this in mind when considering produce freight rates.
After heavy September and October rains, pepper harvesting is expected to begin with variable yields and quality, while green bean loadings are expected to start with lower than normal volume. Last season, record winter rainfall harmed quality of many items.
Early indications point to Florida having over all good quality crop, with that quality being much better that last year. This year the weather is much improved, with warmer temperatures and rain, resulting in a very good growing season.
Florida Specialties Inc. of Immokalee is a grower and shipper of green beans, eggplant and peppers. It began harvesting bell peppers in mid-November right on schedule in Southern Florida and also like to looks of its vegetables in central Florida.
Branch: A Family of Farms, is based in South Bay, FL, began harvesting sweet corn in mid November. The company also handles many other vegetables ranging from green beans to cabbage, escarole, endive, cilantro, lettuce, celery, parsely and radicchio, among other items, with operations also in Georgia and Colorado, in season.
Tomatoes
The Florida tomato shipments got underway in late October for mature greens and grape tomatoes in small normal early fall volumes.
DiMare Co., of Homestead, FL is facing reduced tomato yields with early season volumes due to rains.
In central Florida, the cabbage harvest has just started, but decent volume is not expected until early January.
Florida tomatoes and vegetables – grossing about $1800 to Chicago.
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.