Posts Tagged “feature”
Would you believe kale being served with a Big Mac?
Hum. Fast food giant McDonald’s is looking to add items with kale to its menu.
McDonald’s sources aren’t confirming the reports from dozens of media outlets, but it does appear that the trendy green may make its way to the Golden Arches.
Most of the hype stems from Janney Capital Markets analyst Mark Kalinowski, who cited an unnamed source: “Possibilities include kale for use in salads, or perhaps a kale smoothie.”
With the Oakbrook, Ill.-based chain losing market share in recent years, McDonald’s officials have said publicly that they’re open to anything to turn things around, including rethinking menu choices.
McDonald’s has noted it isn’t blind to Americans’ demand for more nutritious items, and kale has been one of the hottest trend items in U.S. restaurants, in general, over the past couple of years.
Kale-producing farms have nearly tripled from 2007 to 2012, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data, and kale is featured on foodservice menus a whopping 400 percent more often today than it did in 2010.
However, McDonald’s seemed among the most unlikely candidates to add kale after a January McDonald’s TV ad campaign specifically vowed the chain would never serve kale, in fact chastising vegetarians and featuring footage of McDonald’s signature sandwich, the Big Mac.
“You can’t get juiciness like this from soy or quinoa,” a narrator says in the ad. “This is not Greek yogurt. Nor will that ever be kale.”
Most likely sweet onion shipments from the Vidalia onion district in Southeast Georgia that are labeled “Vidalias” will begin shipping April 27th. Unlabeled Vidalias should start sooner.
The Vidalia Onion Advisory Panel met with Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black March 23 and recommended an April 27 shipping start date this season for the state’s trademarked vegetable.
Under Georgia law, the ag commissioner sets the beginning of shipping each year. The commissioner is not bound by the advisory panel’s recommendation, but Black has followed it during his tenure in office.
Vidalia onions are maturing about 10 days later than usual because of weather conditions this winter.
Meanwhile sweet onion supplies out of Mexico and Texas have had consistency issues. Vidalias can be shipped prior to the official starting date, but cannot be labeled as Vidalia onions. No double some shipments from Vidalia will begin the first or second week of April.
In mid-March, despite a wet winter with 20 inches of rain in since mid-December, the Vidalia crop looks clean, but that could change if problems such as disease arise.
From the South Texas-Mexican border to the Canadian border, here is a look at produce shipments originating out of the central United States.
Lower Rio Grand Valley Produce Shipments
There are steady Texas grapefruit shipments, amounting to around 200 truck loads weekly, with about one-fourth this volume in oranges. Just south of San Antonio, cabbage shipments are increasing…..However, the biggest volume comes with Mexican produce shipments. There is everything from such tropical as mangos, papayas, and pineapples to watermelon, peppers, roma tomatoes, broccoli and carrots.
A word of caution. Although volume is very light with Mexican tomatillos and chayote, some quality problems are being reported.
Lower Rio Grand Valley/Mexican produce – grossing about $4800 to New York City.
Sweet Potato Shipments
Both Louisiana and Mississippi are shipping sweet potatoes, but volume is light.
Michigan Produce Shipments
Heaviest produce volume in Michigan remains with apples, primarily out of the Western area of the state, averaging about 175 truck loads per week…There are about 125 truck loads of potato loadings a week….Finally, there are still some storage onions left, but it is in a seasonal decline.
Michigan apples – grossing about $2400 to Atlanta.
Wisconsin Potato Shipments
Central Wisconsin is shipping over 300 truck loads of primarily russet potatoes weekly.
Wisconsin potatoes – grossing about $2200 to Houston.
Red River Valley Potato Shipments
Eastern North Dakota and Western Minnesota are shipping red potatoes in similar volume to that of Wisconsin.
Red River Valley potatoes – grossing about $1950 to Chicago.
Here’s an update on California strawberry shipments, plus a glimpse at the outlook for several other California fruit loadings.
As California strawberry shipments increase heading towards an April 5th Easter, acreage for 2015 is 37,438, which is about a 3 percent decrease from last year, but that may not result in less volume.
Newer varieties tend to yield better than older varieties, and weather factors can easily affect volume by at least 5 percent. Due to a mild winter and relatively dry spring, California growing conditions have been very good. This could result in total volume being near or above last year’s shipments of about 192 million trays.
The southern growing district of Orange County/San Diego, continues to lose acreage at a relatively fast clip. In 2012, those growers planted planted 1,446 acres, compared to plantings of 973 acre this year, nearly a 50 percent drop in four years. The region now represents only about 3 percent of the state’s total acreage, primarily due to urbanization and construction.
Another noteworthy trend is the increase in fruit planted in the summer for fall shipments. These plantings help California come very close to shipping year-round.
The Oxnard and Santa Maria areas now responsible for the increase in summer plantings. Growers are projecting summer plantings of over 5,700 acres. In 2011, 3,500 summer acres were planted. That jumped to more than 3,700 in 2012 and surpassed 5,000 acres for the first time two years ago. This year’s number represents a 10 percent increase over last year.
Ventura County berries and vegetables – grossing about $6500 to New York City.
Summer Fruit Shipments
California’s hot weather will likely affect most summer produce shipments, including blueberries, cherries, stonefruit and table grapes.
The first blueberry shipments typically kicks off in mid to late April, with stone fruit and table grapes following in early May, but could start a few days earlier this year.
The high temperatures began March 13th. However, the San Joaquin Valley is susceptible to hail damage and frosts as late as May, so anything can happen. We’ll keep you posted.
JUPITER, FL – A Louisville man accused of stealing an 18-wheeler filled with Yokohama truck tires in Fort Pierce, FL. has been apprehended with the help of Locus Traxx’s GO unit.
The Florida Highway Patrol was notified that the truck had disappeared Saturday in Louisville. It was headed south on the Florida Turnpike. Troopers were able to locate the semi at mile market 174, thanks to the GO’s location reporting capabilities, according to a Locus Traxx press release.
Marvin Napoles Manzano was then arrested and charged with cargo theft valued at over $50,000 and the grand theft of a vehicle, totaling over $110,000 in stolen merchandise.
The GO is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand and is capable of sending temperature, location, and door security information straight to the grower via smart phone or computer, providing access to critical data at any time, from any location. With real-time data available at one’s fingertips, produce deliveries can be safely monitored to prevent any potential transportation problems.
Locus Traxx is a fast-growing company focused on improving food safety and security of food shipments.
The SmartTraxx monitoring system wireless reports the temperature, security and location of shipments on the road. The OverSight system delivers real-time Intelligent Alerts text and emails based on the incoming shipment data. These timely alerts make sure shipment damage, theft or tampering can be prevented. All shipment data is also available online as intelligent maps, interactive graphs, cusomizable reports or one-click downloads.
The company was founded in 2005. Its objective is to use leading edge technolgies and best practice approaches to provide a cost-effective way to ensure the safety and freshness of every food shipment.
Its customers are global leaders in the food industry including: transportation providers, growers, farmers, ranchers, distributors, retailers, and food service companies.
After several years of planning, Abasto’s San Antonio Wholesale Produce Market plans to officially open for business this spring.
“The first phase that’s about to be finished consists of two buildings, each with 30 cold room equipped warehouse units, right at the front of the project facing Loop 410,” said Fernando Narvaez, sales director of McAllen, Texas-based Abasto Properties LLC.
Phase two is scheduled for 2016 and includes another 120 units, with cold room, freezer and dry storage. Designs include 3,100 square feet of main floor with cold room capacity for 156 pallets, or about seven truck loads of produce.
Each unit has an additional 900 square feet of office space on a second floor, plus 450 square feet of covered front dock with two access doors. “On the back of the warehouses are three dock-high doors and temperature controlled space for loading and unloading trucks,” Narvaez said.
“We designed the layout with cold-chain management in mind as well as warehouse certifications key to the produce industry.” Phase one of the market is about half full, Narvaez said. The market is planned to not only serve the San Antonio market, but also be a consolidation center for importers from Mexico and companies that plan to export to Mexico
Florida citrus shipments continue on a steady pace, while the state’s blueberry shipping season is just getting underway.
The Sunshine State’s orange production has declined slightly with the issuance of the USDA’s March 10th report. However, production of grapefruit and tangerines has remained steady.
Late-season orange production, which includes navels declined 2 percent or 1 million equivalent cartons from the previous month’s report. The late season valencias, which ship primarily to processed channels, remained unchanged. Valencias account for 55 million cartons with the other oranges at 47 million cartons.
Final season navel shipments is reported at 1.4 million cartons. Navels ship primarily fresh while around 96 percent of the state’s oranges are harvested for processing.
Overall, Florida this season is expected to ship 120 million cartons of citrus, down from last season’s 124 million cartons.
Florida citrus – grossing about $3500 to Boston.
Florida, Georgia Blueberry Shipments
Florida blueberry shipments are just starting from the Southern and central parts of the state of the state and loading should be available into early May. Northern Florida blueberries normally start in early April and will be available through late May. That freeze which damaged Georgia blueberries several weeks ago, did little or no damage for Central Florida blueberries.
The amount of damage to Georgia blueberries is still be assessed, but the state will still probably have decent shipments this season.
In recent years Georgia has surged to become the biggest domestic producer. For the 2014 season, Georgia’s 56 million pounds topped perennial leaders Michigan and New Jersey.
For years, Michigan and New Jersey traded the top spot for fresh production, with New Jersey leading four out of five years. In the mid-2000s, Georgia’s fresh volume was double Florida’s, a pace that continued as both states boosted production.
In the most recent season, Georgia’s fresh volume was more than three times that of Florida.
Here’s an outlook for the new season with California avocado shipments, plus a round up of the huge amount of U.S. apples remaining in storages to be shipped between now and late summer.
California avocado shipments this year should be about 10 percent greater than last season, although in 2014 volume was the smallest it had been in a decade.
The 327 million-pound crop is coming on about a month a head of schedule in both the northern and southern shipping areas of California. Volume is light now, but it should improve significantly by the end of March and will continue through the summer.
In an extremely rare weather event, 6-8 inches of snow hit the Temecula area in late December and early January. The result the snow and wind was a thinning of the crop. The weight of the snow also snapped some tree limbs. However, there will be a significant increase in volume of California avocados from March to June, with peak shipment occurring prior to the Fourth of July.
Southern California avocados, berries, citrus and veggies – grossing about $5500 to Atlanta.
Apple Shipments
About 79 million bushels of U.S.-grown fresh-market apples had yet to ship as of March 1st, 28 percent more than last year at the same time. However, the March 1 total was a whopping 37 percent above the five-year average.
Washington accounted for 70.6 million bushels of those still in storage. Michigan accounted for 3.08 million bushels of the total, New York 3.05 million bushels and Pennsylvania 831,200 bushels.
March volumes of all major apple varieties were up over last year. About 29 million bushels of red delicious had yet to ship, up from 21.3 million bushels in March 2014.
Gala volumes increased from 9.4 million to 12.9 million bushels; granny smith from 8.5 million to 8.9 million bushels; golden delicious from 6.5 million to 8.1 million bushels; fuji from 6.1 million to 7.9 million bushels; Pink Lady from 1.9 million to 2.4 million bushels; and Honeycrisp from 652,000 to 1.2 million bushels.
Yakima Valley, WA apples – grossing about $6500 to New York City.
Salinas, CA – TransFresh® Corporation reports that its custom tailored Tectrol® Storage Solutions for fresh blueberries has gained strong acceptance by the Grower-Shipper community following its fall 2014 debut.
TransFresh’s unique Tectrol Storage Solutions was launched following a multi-year research and development initiative and features Apio’s patented BreatheWay® Breathable Membrane Technology married with an easy-to-use zipper-sealed pallet system.
Tectrol Storage Solutions’ distinctive zipper-sealed all-in-one pallet bag ensures a secure seal with easy, efficient single-zip operation. It features a careful adaptation of Apio’s patented BreatheWay® Technology, creating an adjustable breathability to manage just the right rate of oxygen and carbon dioxide transfer required by the fruit.
According to TransFresh, the breakthrough sealing process delivers to customers an easy storage solution with minimal impact to the other aspects of their processes.
“What’s so remarkable about Tectrol Storage Solutions for fresh blueberries is that the innovative zip-sealed pallet system combined with the patented breathable membrane allows just the right amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide transfer needed by the fruit, for the storage of blueberries,” said Rich Macleod, TransFresh vice president. “Customers who have struggled in the past to meet the specific atmosphere needs of fresh blueberries are finding they have a new solution available for storage,” he said. “It’s the cost-effective storage tool they’ve been looking for.”
Macleod further commented that customers are reporting much more confidence in their storage solutions because they are able to more effectively match supplies with market demand. A pallet-sized atmosphere package such as the Tectrol Storage Solutions gives suppliers the flexibility to market a quality product through the peaks and valleys of the distribution system.
Customers who are interested in more information may contact Reilly Rhodes, TransFresh at (949) 279-5084.
About TransFresh®
TransFresh is a pioneering and established global entity with nearly 50 years of experience in perishables transport. Tectrol® is the trademarked brand name for the TransFresh® family of proprietary modified and controlled atmosphere systems and processes developed and owned by TransFresh. The Tectrol Service Network™ services markets and supports the Tectrol pallet systems operations and technologies. Since inception, TransFresh’s innovations in packaging, equipment and sealing processes have established Tectrol as an industry standard. For more information, please visit www.transfresh.com.
About Apio
Apio is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Landec Corporation (LNDC). Landec, through Apio, is a market leader in the commercialization of specialty packaged vegetable products using Apio’s BreatheWay® patented technology. Landec also develops and commercializes injectable medical materials for ophthalmology and orthopedic applications. Landec’s Apio food subsidiary sells its products nationwide under the Eat Smart® and GreenLine® Brands. For more information visit www.apioinc.com.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced plans to invest $150 million to revitalize the Hunts Point Terminal Market in the Bronx, NY, over 12 years, “fortifying a vital aspect of our infrastructure: our food supply,” he said Thursday, March 5, at an Association for a Better New York event.
de Blasio said the plans will modernize the buildings and infrastructure that are currently at Hunts Point and open up new space for small businesses. “More than that, this is a bold vision, with a major financial commitment that will make the site resilient and sustainable, improving New York’s readiness for natural disasters like Superstorm Sandy,” he said.
“It’s hard to overstate how important this facility is for our city,” the mayor noted.
The Hunts Point Terminal Market occupies 329 acres and supports 115 private wholesalers that employ over 8,000 people. “These are good, decent-paying jobs for New Yorkers at every education level,” de Blasio said. “Our plan protects those jobs and positions the site to create many more jobs for New Yorkers in the future.”
The plan will also include dedicated space to better link New Yorkers to food that is grown and produced in upstate New York, strengthening the city’s partnership with upstate communities, farms and businesses.