Red cabbage could be the key to developing a natural cyan blue food coloring

Finding a natural cyan blue dye that is equivalent to FD&C Blue No. 1 has been a challenge for the entire industry and the subject of research programs around the world. Now,…

Peruvian banana shipments exceeded 25.6 million dollars in the first two months of 2021

According to the data provided by the Agrodata Peru website, Peru exported 36,414,873 kilos of bananas for a FOB value of 25,684,995 dollars between January and February 2021,…

Country reopening means changes in demand for potatoes

Supplies of potatoes are good but demand is starting to see some shifts. “There should be plenty of potatoes through the end of the season. There’s not an abundance of them but it’s not necessarily going to be a short supply year either,” says Ryan Wahlen of Pleasant Valley Potato in Aberdeen, ID. He…

Imperial Valley is gearing up for onion harvest

As California gears up for onion harvesting, steady, if not increased, supplies are anticipated. “We are getting ready in the next couple of weeks to harvest our El Centro crop in the Imperial Valley. That usually starts with a good healthy supply of yellow onions,” says Jessica Peri, retail sales…

Irish Farmers' Association

Retail potato demand buoyant - lockdowns stifling European demand

In its latest weekly report, the Irish Farmers Association claims that retail demand was buoyant over the Easter period in Ireland, but the food sector service in the country still continues to trade at a minimum. Early planting progress over the past week was good, although growth rates are hampered by…

Mexican court postponed debate on appeals banning the import of US potatoes

The Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) has postponed a debate on two pending appeals banning the import of US potatoes. In a plenary session held on Wednesday, it…

"Peru and the Ivory Coast to connect well on mango market"

Hars & Hagebauer's first mangos from the Ivory Coast were loaded last night. These should arrive in the Netherlands in week 16. "Many shippers are expecting to send fewer mangoes than last year. That wasn't a great year either", says Henk van der Meij. "Blooming has been very regular so far. That usually…

Conference scholarship named after industry veteran launched

Center for Growing Talent (CGT) by PMA, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins announce the founding of the Frieda Rapoport Caplan Women’s Fresh Perspectives Scholarship that enable a woman in the industry to attend the Women’s Fresh Perspective Conference annually at no cost.  This year’s conference is September…

Women in Produce honoree recognized for product development work

Nature Fresh Farms’ product development specialist, Luci Faas, has been recognized for her excellence in the produce industry. The Canadian Produce Marketing Association, in partnership with Grocery Business Magazine, has developed the Women in Produce initiative recognizing the achievements of…

ITC held hearing on the effects of cucumber and squash imports from Mexico

The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association says yesterday’s International Trade Commission hearing on the effect of imports on the U.S. Cucumber and Squash Industries was a…

Shortage of snacking tomatoes and abundance of round tomatoes in North America

Coming out of the winter season, supplies of tomatoes are ample. “We’ve seen an abundance of larger round tomatoes--beefsteak, tomatoes on the vine (TOV) and that’s been the case for about six weeks,” says Ryan Cherry of Delta, BC-based Windset Farms. It seems that regions producing tomatoes, including…

700 refrigerated containers arriving in South Africa

Maersk Vallvik arriving in Durban, South Africa with over 700 refrigerated containers to support the upcoming citrus season and customers needs. Providing fresh fruit to various markets around the world. "Phasing into our AMEX (America – South Africa) service, Maersk Vallvik repositioned empty reefers from…

Reemoon officially installs its first kiwifruit sorting line in South America

COVID-19 has provided many challenges for fresh produce companies, Chilean kiwifruit producer CCF has self-installed its new fruit sorting machine with help from Chinese supplier Reemoon over video calls. Felipe Espinosa, director of the CCF Company, and a member of the Chilean Kiwifruit committee, first…

Root-ai.com

AppHarvest acquires Root AI and its robotic harvester

The Kentucky-based AppHarvest company has built over 3 million ft2 of indoor agricultural space to hydroponically grow non-GMO, pesticide-free produce using 90% less water than open-field agriculture. At the same time, the company claims to be producing yields up to thirty times that of traditional…

Southern Exposure wraps up successful in-person event

Last month, in-person trade shows returned to our industry with Viva Fresh in Texas. This week, it was SEPC’s turn with their Southern Exposure show. After postponing the event from its usual February date, the Southeast Produce Council was able to successfully hold the event with both in-person and…

USDA restricts PACA violators in California and Texas

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has imposed sanctions on five produce businesses for failing to meet contractual obligations to the sellers of produce they purchased and…

Kenya: Locust outbreak may be coming to an end

The Horn of Africa has been experiencing its worst locust crisis in more than 25 years. In Kenya, the swarms of insects are the worst they've been in 70 years. But things…

"Marketing campaigns, shelf presentation more profitable than reducing VAT"

Current Dutch apple stocks are steadily decreasing. "We'll run out earlier than usual this year," says Ad Pollux, Fruitveiling Zuid-Limburg's general manager. "Price formations were good, but not as crazy as last year. Then they reached an unprecedented level. But you never know what might happen in the season's…

Blueberry harvest begins in northern Sinaloa

Producers in the north of the state of Sinaloa have begun performing the first blueberry cuts in a season that starts with good expectations. According to Lenin Garcia, a…

Southern Hemisphere renders smooth transition to import season for apples and pears

Spring has sprung and with it has arrived a diverse set of apples and pears to transition from the domestic to the imported crop. Rolling in is a freshly harvested mix from the Southern Hemisphere available coast to coast. All offerings arriving from either New Zealand, Chile or Argentina, favorites like…

Organics company announces addition of organic Amber Crest Peaches this season

TerraFresh Organics, an organic fruit company known for supplying organic citrus, mangos, stone fruit and grapes to North America, announced the addition of Organic Amber Crest Peaches to its Earth Greens label through May 2021.  This season, TerraFresh Organics has been chosen to be Bloom to Box's partner…

T&G Global set for first commercial crop of new super-sized, blueberries

T&G Global is set to take a big bite out of the Australian blueberry market with the first commercial crop of new super-sized, blueberries to be launched in retail stores this December.The global fresh produce company has secured 16 of the latest and best genetics from breeders Plant & Food Research in…

Creating better strawberries using Artificial Intelligence

For decades, taste groups and breeding for better taste have existed, being relied upon to guide decisions on which strawberries taste and smell best. This would help steer…

Indications point to a crop that's larger than last year

While most of the Northwest cherry buds are still wrapped up tight and waiting for the warmer days to come, several of the earliest regions and varieties have begun to push their blooms.  It's still far too early to translate these stages into an overall projection of 2021 crop to come.     General Crop Size:  It's too early to…

Basil continues to increase in popularity

Supplies of basil could become slimmer as the Easter holiday approaches. Camilo Penalosa of Infinite Herbs in Miami, FL says basil volume at this time of the year typically comes from Baja California, the interior of Mexico and Colombia. Domestically, Florida and select greenhouses in the U.S. also have…

PMA/CGT add Diversity & Inclusion series and courses

Center for Growing Talent (CGT) by PMA has announced the first two initiatives to come after a task force convened to determine how the industry could advance diversity,…

Spain will be able to produce Shiranuhi oranges in two years

Beauty resides within, as evidenced by Shiranui oranges. These 'ugly' Japanese oranges have become a hit in the United States, where they are marketed as Sumo Citrus in…

How do imported fruits keep Chinese consumers interested?

On April 1, a bulk carrier loaded with over 3,500 tons of new season Zespri kiwifruits from New Zealand unloaded at the Yangshan South Port in Shanghai. Chilean cherries, a…

Technavio

Technavio: Organic banana market to grow by USD 252 Million from 2021-2025

The organic banana market is expected to grow by USD 252 million during 2021-2025, according to Technavio. The report offers a detailed analysis of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the organic banana market in optimistic, probable, and pessimistic forecast scenarios.  Image: Technavio  The organic banana market…

Orange juice not associated with weight gain in children

New research shows no adverse association between change in body mass index (BMI) and consumption of 100% orange juice (OJ) among older children. The four-year study published…

Artificial intelligence victorious in Chinese fruit growing competition

Experts in artificial intelligence have beaten some of the world's best strawberry growers in a Chinese competition to see who could grow the most fruit. Three teams of top…

Gastronology - refined gastronomy, 3D technology linked to create 3D food solutions with fresh ingredients

For some people, dinner is a tasteless, albeit practical, affair. Older people and those with dysphagia, who battle to swallow, often have blended foods. This aids in swallowing but doesn't taste or look appetizing. 'It doesn't have to be that way,' thought Peter Nieuwkerk, owner of the Budelpack Group…

Connecting guacamole deeper with sports

While it’s long been a staple on the side of nachos or fajitas, there’s a move towards taking guacamole beyond being paired with just Mexican dishes. “It’s become much more of…

Gladstone Land acquires blueberry cooling and storage facilities in California

Gladstone Land Corporation announced that it has acquired approximately 108,000 square feet of various cold storage and supporting facilities in Stockton, California. The…

FDA warns all California Central Coast entities involved in leafy green production

On April 6, the Food and Drug Administration fired an unmistakable warning shot at the leafy greens industry. Hopefully, this will be a call to action that gets to the root of…

After two years of low prices, Brazil nut pricing is now on the rise

This year’s Brazil nut volumes are down and it’s causing a boost in the market’s prices. Byron Machuca of Peruvian company White Lion Foods explains: “The prices have been low for the past two years, ever since they reached record levels in 2017, but so far in 2021 we have seen the prices increase again…

Bio vegetable packaging made with plastic recovered from the sea

Agromediterránea has launched a new container for the marketing of BIO radishes under its brand Sun & Vegs. It is a sustainable container made with recycled plastic that has been recovered from areas near the coasts and in the seas of Southeast Asia. It is doing so as one of the main partners of…

From Piedmont to Tuscany, heavy losses of stone fruit and damages to kiwi and pome fruits

The low temperatures in the north of Italy are causing increasing concern. Below is a partial statement of damage, for each region. PiedmontIn the Monregalese area, in the province of Cuneo, the fruit-growing area par excellence, temperatures have dropped to -3 °, with conspicuous frosts together with…