Posts Tagged “feature”
Mushrooms are considered a superfood by some.
Highline Mushrooms of Leamington, Ontario considers mushrooms to be a superfood, packed with vitamins and minerals.
Research shows that mushrooms:
- Decrease the risk of cancer.
- Lower sodium intake.
- Promote lower cholesterol.
- Protect brain health.
- Provide a source of vitamin D.
- Stimulate a healthier gut.
- Support a healthy immune system.
The company notes mushrooms are a natural meat extender or substitute.
Instead of eating processed meat alternatives, diners can choose healthy mushrooms, which have a meaty texture and umami flavor.
The company notes eating meat can be reduced or replaced by adding mushrooms to recipes. Chefs can use half the amount of ground beef in tacos and add diced mushrooms, which reduces the cost, increases the nutritional value and adds to the flavor.
At Monterey Mushrooms Inc., of Watsonville, CA mushrooms are recognized as a more important part of a balanced, nutritious diet that is high in vitamin D and has numerous cancer-fighting properties, [three times] the vitamin D of fortified milk and more selenium than any other fruit or vegetable.
Zespri, the New Zealand kiwifruit shipping giant, reports the 2024 kiwi season has the potential to be a year of strong growth across all kiwifruit offerings this year. The company is expecting to export about 193 million trays of kiwifruit to markets around the world.
While still early in the season, Zespri’s latest supply estimate reflects the positive growing conditions seen across New Zealand in recent months. This season’s crop will significantly increase the 133 million New Zealand trays shipped last season and up on the 175 million trays shipped in 2021.
“It’s been a far more settled growing environment compared to the last couple of seasons when growers were facing several challenges, including the impact of COVID-19, the significant labor shortage in 2022, and the many climatic events that New Zealand experienced in 2023,” Zespri reports.
“While it’s still early, the crop looks excellent and there’s a lot of excitement and optimism in the industry.
The company notes managing the increased volume of fruit throughout the supply chain and delivering consistently good quality fruit was the key consideration in the industry’s season planning process.
Zespri was closely monitoring the disruption to international shipping though Zespri was not affected by the disruption in the Red Sea, instead shipping via the Panama Canal.
MODESTO, CA — A new study found that eating almonds reduced some feelings of muscle soreness during exercise recovery which translated to improved muscle performance during a vertical jump challenge. These results expand on prior research1 which looked at how almonds affect muscle recovery after exercise.
In the research study2, published in Frontiers in Nutrition and funded by the Almond Board of California, 25 mildly overweight middle-aged men and women performed a 30-minute downhill treadmill run test after eight weeks of consuming 57 g (two ounces) of whole raw almonds daily. The control group ate a calorie-matched (86 g/three ounces) snack of unsalted pretzels. The treadmill test was designed to cause muscle damage to see how almonds affected muscle recovery.
Researchers measured participants’ muscle function; blood markers of muscle damage and inflammation; and perceived muscle soreness using a visual scale, before, during and at three timepoints after the treadmill test. They also measured markers of cardiometabolic health, body composition, and psycho-social assessments of mood, appetite, and well-being at baseline and after eight weeks of almond snacking.
The results: Study participants who ate almonds experienced an almost 25 percent reduction in muscle soreness when performing an explosive power exercise (a vertical jump challenge) over the cumulative 72-hour exercise recovery period. The perceived reduction in soreness translated to better muscle performance during the vertical jump challenge in the almond group versus the control. No significant differences were observed in measures of cardiometabolic health, muscle damage/inflammation, mood state, or appetite for the almond group or the control group.
This study included non-smoking participants who were mildly overweight and occasionally physically active but were not trained athletes. A limitation of this study is that the results are not generalizable to populations with other demographic and health characteristics.
“Our study suggests that snacking on almonds can be recommended to occasional exercisers as a go-to food to help fitness recovery after strenuous exercise,” said Dr. Oliver C. Witard, Senior Lecturer in Exercise Metabolism and Nutrition at Kings College London. “Almonds are naturally nutritious with protein, good fats and the antioxidant vitamin E. They can be considered an ideal food for fitness.” One serving of almonds (28 g) has 4 g of plant protein, 13 g of good unsaturated fat and only 1 g of saturated fat.
Dr. Witard’s study joins previous research which examined how regular almond snacking affected exercise recovery for healthy adults who exercise occasionally.
“Sticking to an exercise routine is not easy, so finding dietary strategies to help people be – and stay – physically active is important for public health. Our preliminary findings are encouraging in showing that almond snacking may promote adherence to new training programs among people who are unaccustomed to exercise,” said Witard.
One ounce (28 g) of almonds provides 4 g of fiber and 15 essential nutrients, including 77 mg magnesium (18.3% DV), 210 mg potassium (4% DV), and 7.27 mg vitamin E (50% DV), making them a great snack for healthy active lifestyles.
Study Findings At-a-Glance
Daily almond snacking alleviates perceived muscle soreness and improves muscle performance
- 25 mildly overweight middle-aged, physically active but untrained men and women performed a 30-minute downhill treadmill run test after eight-weeks of consuming either 57 g/day (two ounces) of whole raw almonds or a calorie-matched (86 g/day) carb snack of unsalted pretzels (control).
- Researchers measured participants’ perceived muscle soreness, muscle function (measured via a muscle contraction test and a vertical jump physical task) and blood markers of muscle damage/inflammation (creatine kinase and c-reactive protein) before and at 3 timepoints (24, 48 and 72 hours) after the treadmill run.
- Over the cumulative 72-hour period after the downhill treadmill run, muscle soreness measured during the vertical jump physical task (an explosive power exercise) was reduced by ~24% in the almond group versus the control, which translated to an improvement in vertical jump performance during exercise recovery. No significant differences were observed in measures of muscle soreness and performance during the muscle contraction tests.
- Researchers also measured markers of cardiometabolic health (total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, and LDL-cholesterol), body composition and psycho-social assessments of mood, appetite and well-being at baseline and after 8 weeks of almond snacking. No significant differences were observed in measures of cardiometabolic health, muscle damage/inflammation, mood state, or appetite for the almond group or the control group.
Study Conclusion: Snacking on almonds for eight weeks reduced perceived feelings of muscle soreness during recovery from muscle-damaging exercise, resulting in better maintenance of muscle functional capacity. This study suggests that almonds are a functional food snack to improve exercise tolerance in mildly overweight, middle-aged adults.
ABOUT THE ALMOND BOARD OF CALIFORNIA
California almonds make life better by what we grow and how we grow. The Almond Board of California promotes natural, wholesome and quality almonds through leadership in strategic market development, innovative research, and accelerated adoption of industry best practices on behalf of the more than 7,600 almond farmers and processors in California, most of whom are multi-generational family operations. Established in 1950 and based in Modesto, California, the Almond Board of California is a non-profit organization that administers a grower-enacted Federal Marketing Order under the supervision of the United States Department of Agriculture.
A 12 percent increase in volume for New Zealand Apples and Pears (NZAPI) is forecast this year over the 2022, a rebound from 2023, which suffered significant damage due to Cyclone Gabrielle.
The publication Fuitnet estimates exports will total 21.2 million boxes (18 kg tray equivalent), 382,000 tons. Excellent size, color, eating, and flavor are expected.
Fuitnet also is projecting a higher dry matter content, allowing for better storage of the fruit.
Sunkist Growers of Valencia, CA is shipping a good volume supply of its year-round conventional and organic citrus in the winter months. It also is shipping specialty citrus during the winter.
These range from The Pink Orange, to the seedless sweetness and pink cara cara orange variety, blood oranges, and vitamin B9 rich minneola tangelos.
Sunkist also is shipping the more traditional navel oranges, lemons, California mandarins, grapefruit and organics.
Winter is the peak shipping season for Sunkist
This included a strong start to the California desert grapefruit category and increased volume in lemons.
Sunkist is generally recognized as the longest-standing fresh citrus cooperative in the nation.
The official crop forecast for the California Avocado Commission’s (CAC) fiscal year 2023-24 is 208 million pounds, down from the prior year’s volume of 237 million pounds.
Weather and market conditions will be key factors for when California avocado growers begin harvesting, said the Commission in a release. The potential for a wet winter may encourage some growers to delay picking to allow their avocados time to increase in size, which could in turn increase the crop volume.
“Some very early season harvesting has occurred already and we’re anticipating the volume to ramp up in March and April,” says CAC Vice President of Marketing Terry Splane.
“The recent rain in California avocado growing regions followed by a period of sunny days is excellent for the health of our avocado trees and sizing of the fruit,” says Jason Cole, chairman of the California Avocado Commission Board of Directors. “We are looking forward to the harvest, which has already started in a minor way, to ramp up once fruit sizing and market conditions are favorable.”
The majority of California avocados are shipped West of the Rocky Mountains.
By North American Potato Market News
According to the USDA, January Yellow potato shipments climbed 25.8% above 2023 movement, to a record 819,000 cwt. Strong movement from Idaho, the San Luis Valley, the Red River Valley, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Kern County contributed to January’s Yellow potato sales growth.
January Red potato movement exceeded 2023 shipments by 24,000 cwt, or 4.0%. Increased sales from Kern County, Central Minnesota, the Red River Valley, and the Klamath Basin offset reduced shipments from the Columbia Basin, Idaho, Wisconsin, and Maine.
For all types, (red, yellow and russet), The Red River Valley showed a 12% increase in January 2024 shipments over January 2023.
A decline in the frequency of online grocery orders drove a 1.2% year-over-year drop in total online sales to $95.8 billion in the U.S. online grocery market in 2023, according to the annual results of the Brick Meets Click/Mercatus Grocery Shopper Survey released Thursday, Supermarket News reports.
It’s the second year in a row that the order frequency of active monthly users (MAUs) declined, according to the report, which surveyed 21,000 shoppers in the U.S. That year-over-year contraction in online orders came in at 6% compared to the prior year, surpassing the 4% year-over-year decline in 2022, the report noted.
The decline in orders was exacerbated by a 300 basis-point increase to 34% in the number of MAUs who said they made only one online grocery purchase per month in 2023.
Despite the drop in online orders for the year, the base of MAUs rose 2% year over year. Shoppers appear to have largely settled on a receiving method with 70% saying they exclusively relied on either pickup, delivery, or ship-to-home, up 172 basis points from the previous year.
Pickup held steady as the most popular way of receiving online orders, growing its share of online sales by a modest 56 basis points to end the year at 46%. The report added that the expanded availability of delivery methods due to increased competition did not appear to help grow the receiving method, which experienced a sales decline of 0.9% for the year and captured 37% of the online sales market. Meanwhile, the ship-to-home method dropped 66 basis points to make up 17% of the market for the year.
“These annual results show that 2023 was very challenging for grocery retailing as higher prices chipped away at household purchasing power even though inflation has slowed considerably since its peak in 2022,” said David Bishop, partner at Brick Meets Click, in a statement. “Despite the challenges, pickup continues to prove its appeal to shoppers, even without the benefits of expanded availability and/or aggressive promotions that aided delivery in 2023.”
Mass merchandisers and hard discount grocers expanded their shares of the online grocery market in 2023 by 460 basis points to end the year with 45% due to strong MAU growth. The growth came at the expense of the supermarket format, which dropped 390 basis points to 29% for the year, a result of declining MAUs and order frequency.
Shoppers increasingly chose to place their online purchases through both mass merchandise and supermarket formats for the year as the cross-shopping rate increased by 150 basis points from the previous year. Nearly a third (30%) of shoppers purchased online groceries from both in the same month over the year, the report noted.
The repeat intent rate – the share of MAUs who are very likely to use the same service again – for the pickup and delivery methods of online purchases declined in 2023 by 63 basis points to 61%, a trend driven solely by a decline in repeat intent for grocery services, which fell 311 basis points to 54%. That’s compared to an increase in repeat intent for mass merchandise shoppers, which grew by 48 basis points to 66%.
“As Walmart grabs market share through its price leadership and omnichannel strategies, regional grocers find themselves in a precarious position. To remain competitive, they must intensify their efforts in improving customer engagement, offering tailored personalization, and building loyalty. This strategic shift is not just about weathering the storm of price inflation and intense competition, but about thriving in it,” said Mark Fairhurst, global chief growth officer at Mercatus, in a statement. “By providing a shopping experience that is both seamless and highly personalized, grocery retailers can retain their existing customer base and gradually attract a wider audience.”
Total online grocery spending declined 18 basis points to capture 12.5% of the market for the year. When considering just the pickup and delivery methods – most stores do not offer ship-to-home as a delivery method – the decline was a mere 6 basis points year over year and made up 10.4% of all grocery spending in 2023.
Mexican melon volumes are growing. Figures from the Mexican Information Service of Agrofood and Fishing (SIAP) indicate that fruit production grew by 11.2% in 2023, compared to the 580,000 tons recorded in 2022.
Michoacan is the main producing state in the country, accounting for 144,600 tons.
The U.S. is the main market for Mexican melons with a market value of 25,6 million dollars in 2022. In addition to domestic consumption, Mexican producers export the fruit to Japan, Hong Kong, Cuba, Colombia, Belize, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates.
Two varieties are marketed in Mexico: Cantaloupe and Valenciano. The latter is larger than the Chinese melon and has a smooth, pale green rind, deep green flesh, and a sweet flavor.
Mexico ranked as the world’s 12th largest producer, accounting for 1.9% of the international volume.
By Scott Fontes ALC Orlando
International logistics plays a crucial role in facilitating global trade and commerce by connecting businesses across continents. The Red Sea, a key maritime route, is currently experiencing significant disruptions that have led to impacts on international logistics. The ongoing geopolitical tensions in the region, coupled with environmental challenges, are reshaping the landscape of maritime transportation. Shipping times and costs have increased, adding significant delays and costs. Oil and gas prices have jumped following news of attacks, and shipping insurance premiums have nearly doubled for some carriers. Even if attacks stopped today, the effects will take a significant time to resolve.
The Red Sea has become a focal point for tensions and conflicts, influencing the safety and efficiency of shipping lanes. By January 2024, only 200,000 standard containers were passing through the waterway per day, compared with around 450,000 in December 2022. Strategic chokepoints, such as the Bab-el-Mandeb and the Suez Canal, are vital passages for vessels navigating between the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean. Political instability in the surrounding areas can lead to heightened security concerns, affecting the smooth flow of goods. According to the AP, “The governments of Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, and South Korea joined the U.S. and U.K. in issuing a statement saying that while the aim is to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea, the allies won’t hesitate to defend lives and protect commerce in the critical waterway.” Instead of sailing through the Red Sea, ships traveling between Asia and Europe are now being re-routed around Africa and the Cape of Good Hope. Stakeholders in international logistics are closely monitoring these developments to assess potential disruptions to supply chains.
Furthermore, environmental factors like extreme temperatures, strong currents, occasional coral reefs, and weather events pose challenges to maritime operations in the Red Sea. Rising sea levels and changing weather patterns can impact navigation, port infrastructure, and overall logistics efficiency. Companies engaged in international trade must adapt to these environmental shifts, incorporating resilience measures into their logistical strategies.
As the Red Sea continues to play a pivotal role in global trade routes, a comprehensive understanding of both geopolitical and environmental dynamics is essential for the sustainable functioning of international logistics networks. By embracing innovation and responsible practices, we can ensure that the Red Sea remains a vital and sustainable lifeline for international trade in the years to come.
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Scott Fontes began working for the Allen Lund Company in 2023 as an international logistics specialist in the Orlando office. Scott joined the company with years of experience in transportation, most recently as a logistics manager for an OTR transportation company.
scott.fontes@allenlund.com