Posts Tagged “feature”
There differing opinion by Americans on the value of organic foods and concerns about genetically modified (GM) foods, according to a new poll.
A poll of 1,480 adults nationwide found that 55 percent said organically grown produce is healthier than conventionally grown produce, while 41 percent said there’s no difference, says The Pew Research Center.
Nearly four out of 10 respondents said GM foods are worse for health than other foods, while almost 50 percent believe is no difference. Ten percent said GM foods are healthier, the researchers found.
Genetically modified foods come from plants, animals or microorganisms in which their DNA has been altered by technology.
“The data suggest that people’s divisions are linked to their interest in food issues and how they think food consumption ties to their well-being,” said Cary Funk, lead author and associate director of research at Pew.
“Their views are not driven by their political attitudes, their level of education, their household income, or where they live,” she noted in a center news release.
Some of the other survey results:
- Thirty-four percent said some of the food they eat is organic. Six percent said most of it is.
- Women care more than men about the issue of GM foods — 20 percent versus 12 percent, respectively. And they’re more pessimistic than men about the effect genetically modified foods may have on society.
- Broken down by age, 18- to 49-year-olds were more likely than older adults to consider organic produce better for health. Similarly, many more young adults said GM food is worse for health than non-GM food, compared with those 65 and older.
- Among those who care deeply about the issue of genetically modified foods, three-quarters consider GM foods worse for health, compared with 17 percent of those with little or no concern about GM foods.
The survey also found that 18 percent of respondents are focused on healthy and nutritious eating. These people are especially likely to believe that organic produce is healthier than regular produce.
Many respondents lack trust in scientists studying GM foods, the survey found.
More than one-third “say scientists do not understand the health effects of GM at all or not too well,” Funk said. Meanwhile, “just 19 percent of Americans say scientists understand the health effects of GM foods ‘very well.’ ”
Grape production throughout the world is forecast to jump, rising 1 million tons to 21.9 million, as China’s growth continues and Turkey’s production recovers.
U.S. grape shipments is forecast to rebound back to near the 2013-14 record, rising 60,000 tons to 1 million tons, as vineyards recover from previous years’ adverse growing conditions. Exports are forecast up 37,000 tons to 365,000 on higher production and improved shipments to Asian markets. Imports are slated to rise 15,000 tons to 545,000 as consumption continues to grow and as domestic supplies are augmented by higher deliveries from Chile.
Chile’s production is forecast up 42,000 tons to 910,000 on abundant chill hours, warm spring temperatures, and good water supplies. Exports are expected to parallel production, rising 42,000 tons to 730,000 on higher shipments to top markets U.S. and China.
Peru’s production is anticipated to increase by 65,000 tons to 605,000 on higher yields in maturing vineyards and as new plantings come into production. Exports, averaging 60% of production the last 3 years, are forecast to improve to 370,000 tons as greater exportable supplies lead to higher shipments to the European Union and the U.S. Continued export growth sustains Peru’s position as the world’s second-largest exporter after Chile.
China’s production is forecast to jump 600,000 tons to 10.2 million on yields from higher growing area. Exports are anticipated to surge over 50% to 350,000 tons, as increased supplies and lower prices boost shipments to Asian markets, especially Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia. Imports are projected to maintain an upward trend, rising 20% to 300,000 tons, as strong demand continues to drive shipments from top suppliers Chile, Peru and the U.S.
Turkey’s production is forecast to rebound from last year’s frost-affected crop, rising 345,000 tons to 2.4 million. Russia continues its ban on Turkish table grapes; yet, exports are expected to rise 50,000 tons to 225,000 on rejuvenated supplies and higher shipments to Belarus, Ukraine, and Georgia.
EU’s production is expected to slip 61,000 tons to 1.7 million, as decreasing acreage has been exacerbated by adverse weather in top producers Italy and Greece. Exports are forecast to contract slightly to 84,000 tons as production losses are reflected in lower shipments to Belarus and Norway. Imports are forecast flat at 610,000 tons.
Russia’s production is forecast to rise slightly to 103,000 tons as higher yields offset declining acreage. Imports are projected to decline further, dropping 25,000 tons to 230,000 as Russia continues to ban table grapes from top supplier Turkey.
Argentina’s production will drop 20,000 tons to 40,000, as a late frost damaged vineyards and high costs drove growers to raise wine and raisin grapes. Exports are expected to continue their downward trend, cut 3,000 tons to 8,000, and down sharply — nearly 90% — since their peak in 2006-07.
California grape shipments – grossing about $4400 to Chicago.
Fresh avocados are one of the most successful categories in fresh produce. Nearly 60 percent of U.S. households purchase avocados each year and spend $23.91 on average, driving annual household purchases of over $1.6 billion, according to The Hass Avocado Board’s newly released Shopper Segmentation Study. The study was based on data from The IRI Consumer Network, analyzes the households that are buying avocados and reveals the underlying purchase behaviors that are driving this category.
The segments for the study was conducted by ranking avocado purchasing households by each household’s total annual avocado spend (high to low), and then dividing this ranked list into four equal segments. The top-spending quartile (25 percent) is designated super heavy households, while the remaining three segments are referred to as heavy, medium and light households. Discerning the differences in purchasing behaviors between these households is one of the keys to unlocking the potential of the avocado category.
This segmentation found that a very large proportion of avocado purchases are made by one shopper segment, the Super Heavy segment. While comprising only one out of every four households, super heavy shoppers account for nearly three out of every four avocado purchases. Additionally, super heavy households purchase avocados twice as often as heavy households, and spend twice as much per avocado shopping occasion. This means that the super heavy segment is a particularly influential and important part of the avocado category.
The remaining three segments each account for a smaller share of avocado dollars than their respective share of households would suggest. As the second-highest spending quartile (25 percent), heavy households account for 18 percent of avocado purchases. Combined, super heavy and heavy households account for 91 percent of all avocado purchases at retail. Based on their high level of engagement in the category, super heavy and heavy households are more apt to respond positively to marketing efforts to increase their purchases even further.
by The Michigan Apple Committee
LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Apple industry set new shipment records eleven weeks in a row in from October 15 through Christmas, according to the USDA Specialty Crop Market News Service.
“These record numbers come as no surprise after the Michigan Apple industry reported an estimated record crop of 31 million bushels for 2016. Growers, packers and shippers have been working very hard to continue to move the apple crop,” said Diane Smith, executive director of the Michigan Apple Committee. “These numbers illustrate not only that we have a large crop, but also that there is great retail and consumer demand for Michigan-grown apples.”
According to the USDA Specialty Crop Market News Service, the organization that tracks shipment numbers, the Michigan apple shipments totaled 330,150 boxes of apples the week of October 15. The weeks of October 22, 29, and November 5 each recorded more than 300,000 boxes. The week of December 24 saw shipments at 153,787 boxes, more than 1,200 higher than that week in 2013. Comprehensive shipment data for Michigan and the entire U.S. can be found at the USDA Specialty Crop Market News Service website, at ttp://www.marketnews.usda.gov/portal/fv.
“With the adoption of high-density orchard plantings, more trees in the ground and new technology from the orchard, to the packing line, to the retailer, this is a trend that will continue,” said Smith. “Michigan is poised to increase apple production into the future, and the Michigan Apple Committee is prepared to support that growth through retail programs, consumer education and research funding.”
With 11.3 million total apple trees in commercial production on 35,500 acres, Michigan is the second largest producer of apples in the United States, and distributes apples to 27 states and 18 countries.
The Michigan Apple Committee is a grower-funded nonprofit organization devoted to marketing, education and research activities to distinguish the Michigan apple and encourage its consumption in Michigan and around the world. For more information, visit www.MichiganApples.com.
Western Michigan apples – grossing about $2700 to Atlanta.
A snowfall described by some that only occurs every 25 years hit the major onion shipping area of western Idaho and Malheur County, Oregon on January 8, damaging a number of structures, including some storage sheds. Transportation has been very difficult due to highways being closed, or are difficult to navigate.
Beside the large amounts of snow that fell over the weekend, rains followed that made the snow even heavier.
Snake River Produce of Nyssa, OR, lost a storage facility. Although it didn’t have onions stored there, several trucks reportedly sustained heavy damage. Three other Nyssa onion operations had packing and storage buildings collapse. One company reportedly lost about 4,200 bins of onions.
In Ontario, OR one shed lost about 2,000 bins of onions when the roof gave way.
Haun Packing of Weiser, ID, reported the loss of a storage building collapse. While the onions had already been moved out there was some equipment inside.
Collapses in the region were reported to be about 20 structures, including four or five packing sheds, with storage buildings comprising the rest.
Facilities costing hundreds of thousands of dollars even before losses of product or equipment are tallied are expected to be very significant.
Avocado Shipments
California used to the place if a produce trucker was hauling avocados. However, you load avocados now, chances are good the pick up will be occurring in South Texas with imported Mexican avocados.
Mexico provide year-round availability and a consistent, high-quality fruit and is the primary reason for the astronomical growth in popularity in the U.S.
Before Mexico, It used to be avocado availability was inconsistent due to the alternate-bearing nature of crops in both California and Chile. Supplies would be typically in good supply one year and tight the following season.
However, avocados grown Mexico year after year tend to provide a lot more consistency in supplies and quality. Buyers for major American retail grocery chains like that.
Additionally, Mexico has four blooms each year and farmers can grow in altitudes ranging from 4,000 feet to 8,000 feet. This is not the case in Chile or California.
Imported Mexican avocados account for at least 75 percent of the avocados shipped to U.S. markets.
Some California avocado growers, as well as a number of produce brokers and shippers in the U.S. sell more Mexican avocados than their own product grown in California.
SweeTango weekly apple sales increased 43.6 percent in the U.S. between August 7th and October 29th. This was and average of 54 pounds per store over the same time frame in 2015, according to apple grower cooperative Next Big Thing.
The co-op, which includes 47 growers from Washington to Nova Scotia, cited Nielsen Co. data in a news release, saying SweeTango was the 10th-best-selling apple overall — falling just behind Pink Lady and Jazz — and the second-best-selling apple when compared only to club varieties, according to the data.
Pricing for SweeTango averaged $2.33 per pound and $233 a week per store in sales.
A marketing program by Next Big Thing was rolled out across the U.S. and Canada in 2016 that included “refreshed packaging designs” and joint efforts with retailers to invest in digital coupons and in-store demos.
The campaign included a new tagline, “Free the Crunch,” along with a social media contest that generated 1,400 entries on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, as well as a 42 percent increase in traffic to SweeTango.com, over a 47-day period.
The initiative also had a series of short-form animated videos promoting the apple variety’s crunch and flavor, which drew 42,000 views on YouTube and Facebook over a 90-day period.
The effort also included a SweeTango Society blogger outreach program, with 12 bloggers in the U.S. and Canada featuring unique SweeTango recipes on their blogs from September through November.
“Consumer awareness and trial for the brand continues to receive favorable responses at shows as well as with in-store sampling and local marketing events,” said David Williams, vice president of sales and marketing with Wolcott, N.Y.-based Fowler Bros. Inc..
A highlight of the season was partnering with the Syracuse Crunch AHL hockey team to promote the uber-crunchy SweeTango with sampling, in-game fan activities like apple dunking on the ice, and more.
The overall 2016 crop was slightly larger than 2015 but marginally smaller than projected due to Midwest hail in the early growing season and harvest-time cracking in New York, the co-op reported.
Union Pacific Railroad announced recently the acquisition of Railex LLC’s refrigerated and cold storage distribution assets in Delano, CA, Wallula, WA, and Rotterdam, NY. Terms were not disclosed, and the acquisition does not include Railex Wine Services LLC.
Railex, a refrigerated rail service and third-party logistics leader, plays a key role in Union Pacific’s Food Network transporting fruits, vegetables and other temperature-sensitive cargo across the United States.
“The Railex team developed a fantastic business changing how fresh food arrives on America’s tables, offering food shippers fast, reliable door-to-door rail based transportation solutions,” Brad Thrasher, vice president and general manager of agricultural products for UP, said in a press release. “The integration of their highly efficient cross dock facilities and logistics capabilities into Union Pacific’s broader food network allows us to offer our customers increased access to a wider range of capacity and service solutions in a rail-centric cold chain.”
Union Pacific, based in Omaha, NE, food trains directly serve Railex’s Delano and Wallula facilities, located in the heart of major agricultural-production regions. The food train network provides a fast and reliable service from these growing regions to the Midwest consumer base via Chicago and further into the heart of the Northeast region via the CSX. Railex will continue managing facilities during the transition and integration of its operations with Union Pacific.
In an Aug. 24, 2016 post, HaulProduce.com rported the following:
Even refrigerated carriers have their challenges hauling fresh produce, but it is an awesome mountain for rail entities, which is why there have been so many failures over the years. Now we hear Railex LLC is ending service to the Southeast, although it claims it will be back one day.
The rail logistics transporter, based in Riverhead, NY, ceased operations in Jacksonville, FL August 13th with its refrigerated perishables. Rumors of the closing had been circulating since July. The company apparently felt it was in its best interest to reassess the Southeast receiving location and close the Jacksonville location…..Paul Esposito, executive vice president of corporate affairs said. “The transit times were two days longer than what we had planned and what our customers expected. Now, two years later, during the peak summer season, with transit variabilities as well as the decline in truck rates, we find it difficult to sustain any significant volume into the area.”
To read the entire post from last August, click on “Sections” and then click on “News,” then scroll down to the 8/24/16 post.
by California Giant Berry Farms
Watsonville, CA – With increased acreage and somewhat favorable weather conditions for berries this winter, California Giant Berry Farms is excited about the 2017 berry season.
Field personnel attending the annual California Giant sales meeting in December shared positive news about berry acreage statistics citing consistent increases for all berry types in 2017 as well as new varieties on tap. For the first time in several years, the company has increased acreage in Oxnard due to positive test plot results and now sufficient availability of two new short day varieties. For many years they have been making due with day neutral varieties better suited for northern districts, but this year the company is excited about the Petaluma and Fronteras varieties bringing new life to their Oxnard program.
California Giant has similar increases in acreage in other growing regions within the state and in Mexico on strawberries as well as increases overall in blueberry volume for the year, year-round blackberries and an emerging raspberry program for the fall of 2017.
In addition to acreage, the company is also very optimistic about the more normal winter weather pattern in California this year providing rainfall, good chill and excellent plant health for the spring and summer harvest season on strawberries.
This marks the second year in a row that rain has returned to the state and snow pack is almost at a normal range.
The rainfall in California does provide challenges on forecasting volume during the first quarter especially as trading partners gear up for Valentine’s Day and build demand for stem berries. The sales team California Giant is already responding to requests and is optimistic about availability since they are sourcing product from California, Florida and Mexico.
January will continue to see weather events in each growing region but California Giant trading Partners can expect to receive regular updates from the California Giant team through their bi-weekly e-news called ‘The Buzz’. It is easy to subscribe through the website or by contacting sales team members at California Giant. This year-round electronic newsletter contains up to the minute crop information, field photos, weather updates and marketing programs in place to help build sales and consumer loyalty.
(Editor’s Note: Oxnard (Ventura County) currently is shipping very limited strawberry volume. Heaviest strawberry shipments are currently from the Plant City, FL area and to a lesser degree from Mexico. Florida strawberries – grossing about $2800 to Chicago.
Over 11 million wood-grain reusable plastic containers have been shipped by IFCO since entering the market in January.
More than 300 growers have placed orders that are destined for Wal-Mart stores with fresh produce, according to a news release.
“We are proud to partner with Wal-Mart and its fresh produce suppliers to provide them with innovative, efficient, cost-effective and sustainable reusable packaging that transitions easily to in-store display,” Daniel Walsh, president of IFCO North America, said in the release. “Surpassing the 11 million wood-grain RPC threshold so quickly is an impressive accomplishment made possible through strong collaboration between Wal-Mart, the grower community and IFCO.”
After reaching an agreement with Wal-Mart in October of 2015, IFCO designed the RPCs to the retailer’s specifications and also took into account feedback from growers.
“Wal-Mart chooses to use wood-grain RPCs to deliver produce for a variety of reasons,” Shawn Baldwin, senior vice president of produce, floral and global food sourcing for Wal-Mart USA, said in the release. “They have better ventilation, they’re ergonomically designed and very easy to use, and our customers really like the new wood-grain RPCs because they look more like a farmers market or roadside fruit stand, which provides a level of comfort during the shopping experience.”
About IFCO
IFCO Systems North America, Inc. designs, develops, and manufactures reusable plastic containers for fresh products, including fruits and vegetables, meat, eggs, and bananas to grocery retailers in North America. IFCO Systems North America, Inc. was formerly known as PalEx, Inc. and changed its name to IFCO Systems North America, Inc. in March 2000. The company was founded in 1996 and is based in Houston, Texas. As of March 22, 2000 IFCO Systems North America, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Ifco SYSTEMS N.V.
IFCO offers the complete RPC solution, managing all aspects of container logistics: pool management, inventory, tracking, repair, sanitation and transportation.
Good apple loading opportunities for produce truckers should remain throughout the season which normally continues into August. This will be particularly true for Washington state, the nation’s leading apple shipper.
There are significant differences in U.S. apple shipments by region, but fresh market apples remaining in storages stood at 120.3 million bushels on December 1st. This is an increase of 13 percent over a year earlier and 12 percent more than the five-year average of 107.5 million bushels.
New York state easily leads apple shipments in the Northeast and was particularly hit hard by cold weather at blossom time. Plus a persistent drought during the growing season didn’t help New York or other Northeastern apple shippers.
New York apples in storage as of last November 1st were down 28 percent from the same date a year earlier.
Also of interest is Michigan apple shipments now rank number 2 in the nation, having surpassed New York. Michigan apples in storages were 17 percent higher last November than the previous season, thanks primarily to good growing conditions.
Apples remaining in storage in the Western states, led by Washington, were 17 percent higher on November 1st than a year earlier.
Nationally, the total number of apples in storage was 179 million bushels, 11 percent more than the previous year total of 161 million bushels.
Apples are big business. The fruit had totaled $2.9 billion in total sales as of October 29th, or 7.3 percent more than the same period in 2015.
Gala was the dominant variety, with $670.5 million in sales, followed by Honeycrisp, $541.5 million; fuji, $386.6 million; granny smith, $330.9 million; red delicious, $311.3 million; Pink Lady, $157.5 million; golden delicious, $129.2 million; mcintosh, $80.5 million; and Ambrosia, $60.9 million.
Apple growers in Michigan harvested an estimated 31 million bushels in 2016, compared to New York’s total of an estimated 28 million bushels.
Washington had its second-largest apple crop in history — 137.4 million bushels as of November. The record is the 2014 crop of 142 million bushels. There are 7 million more cartons of red delicious and 5 million more of galas remaining in Washington storages, compared to 2015.
Apple shipments from Eastern growing areas hasn’t been as fortunate. There was a record cold snap in mid-April in Pennsylvania and other states, which may have reduced the New York and Pennsylvania crops by up to a third.
Yakima Valley (WA) apples and pears – grossing about $6400 to New York City.
Western Michigan apples – grossing about $3100 to Dallas.