McCain Foods invests millions in vertical farming operation GoodLeaf

McCain Foods Limited has made a substantial investment in TruLeaf Sustainable Agriculture and its wholly owned subsidiary GoodLeaf Farms, Canada's largest commercial vertical…

Industry veteran appointed to Canadian Food Policy Advisory Council

Peak of the Market congratulates Larry McIntosh on his appointment to the Canadian Food Policy Advisory Council. Larry has been involved in the produce industry for more than…

New webinar series focused on import/export regulations

United Fresh Produce Association has developed a six-part webinar series to inform companies of the regulatory issues affecting international trade of produce products…

Trail of rancour left by CapeCrops

For Richaard Lingenfelder it is still upsetting to talk about his single season of doing business with CapeCrops. “I’m a farmer between Villiersdorp and Grabouw, growing apples and pears on Arendsig farm, next to the Theewaterskloof Dam. I lost around R1.35 million when I sold apples to Ebrahim Essack of…

"Revenues from our New Zealand retail service operations increased 77%"

Listed New Zealand produce handler Seeka Limited, with operations in New Zealand and Australia, has reported its audited results for the year ended 31 December 2020. "Seeka delivered excellent performance for growers, consumers and investors in 2020. The company generated higher profit, lowered debt and…

DS Smith introduces Greentote, an alternative to plastic bags for grocery pickup or delivery

As more states, counties and cities ban plastic bags, DS Smith, a supplier of sustainable packaging solutions, is offering grocery stores and consumers Greentote, a reusable,…

“Last year’s sales of fruit and vegetables increased significantly”

The current pome fruit season is well underway after a later start, says Jacques du Preez, Hortgro General Manager: Trade & Markets. “The season so far is 7 – 10 days later than normal. This can be attributed to a cooler spring and later flowering period.” Apart from the January hail storm that caused…

Apple brand partners with Colon Cancer Coalition for colorectal cancer awareness

March is national colorectal cancer awareness month and apple brand Pazazz is launching a campaign to help raise awareness among consumers. According to the American Institute of Cancer Research®, there is evidence that foods containing dietary fiber can decrease the risk of colorectal cancer. Apples are…

The Peruvian garlic season ends early, but saw high demand and pricing

While the Peruvian garlic season usually runs to March – and sometimes even into April – the current season has already mostly wrapped up. “The season is highly dependent on the market prices,” says Cristian Flores of Sol de Olmos. “This year’s season started early in mid-September rather than October,…

Garlic Prices in Jinxiang, China falling slightly

On the afternoon of February 24, the market for storage garlic in Jinxiang remained low. Supply increased slightly and traders had different attitudes towards selling. Some…

"Lower chemical use and higher productivity and Brix with vermicompost"

Soil is essential for soil-bound horticulture. It's not only the place where the plant roots develop and which contains the nutrients; it also hosts many microorganisms on which plant health depends. The soil itself forms an entire ecosystem with a great biodiversity, which is why the use of chemical…

Outcast Foods completes $10-million round of financing

Outcast Foods of Dartmouth was established in 2017 by entrepreneur Darren Burke and former NHL player T.J. Galiardi. The company now has completed a $10-million round of…

Interesting Engineering / Youtube

Video shows cultivation areas needed for different foods

A detailed video will illustrate how much land is needed to produce each type of food, laying the areas over a globe of the world. It also provides interesting information on each type of harvest. For those interested, there are many fascinating facts to learn. Did you know that approximately 71 percent…

How to leverage new shopping trends to create effective marketing strategies

Marketing agency DMA Solutions held a webinar to discuss how consumer shopping behaviors have changed in 2020 and how brands can leverage those changes to help increase their…

Egyptian agri-imports cause controversy in Tunisia

Tunisian farmers are calling on the government to stop what they call the indiscriminate import of agricultural products from Egypt, as they think these harm the domestic…

"The market needs logistics specialists that offer integrated solutions on a turnkey basis"

Four companies have set up a joint venture for the data-driven automation of internal logistics for greenhouses and packing centers within the international greenhouse horticulture sector. Hortilogics aims to unburden growers, producers, packers, investors and greenhouse builders completely in this area.…

Nogales port continues seeing diversification of new commodities

Nogales, AZ continues to see demand for new commodities and specialty items. The Fresh Produce Association of the Americas (FPAA) has been monitoring trends for commodities in…

Next generation of loT supply chain monitoring devices released

Supply chain visibility provider Sensitech has expanded its suite of IoT devices to include air-carrier approved and non-lithium battery models for real-time tracking of shipments when cargo is traveling by plane. The enhanced family of TempTale® GEO and VizCommTM View products support shipments…

“Adaptability is key, but we will not work for free“

Container shipping has faced exceptional challenges in the last year. The Covid-19 pandemic initially caused a huge drop in demand, following by an unprecedented surge in…

Flying fruit picking robot uses AI to distinguish between varieties

It's becoming increasingly difficult to find good workers. Fruit and vegetable growers, too, are facing these problems. This has been exacerbated by the global pandemic. But their tomatoes, apples, or pears must be harvested in time. So some growers turn to drones to pick their crops, as this video…

"Controlled environment facilities automate growing, yet still rely on manual post-harvest processing"

“Over the last year or so, more growers have been looking to further remove labor and reduce human touches to help efficiently scale operations and mitigate contamination and recalls. We have added additional automation options to their leafy green line solutions. These lines and equipment include…

"High spot prices in Ecuador, but no great pressure on banana market"

The banana market is currently quiet. "It's not bad, but I can't say it's moving either. Last week was slightly busier. The vacation period might've had an influence," says Hans Maagendans of Banafood in Germany. He expects the market to remain stable in the coming weeks. "Supplies are expected to be very normal. Ecuador's…

Introducing vertical farming to Mexico and beyond

Karma Verde Fresh (KVF) is a vertical farm based in Monterrey, Nuevo León (northeastern Mexico), producing a variety of seedlings, leafy greens, strawberries and beans, and manufacturing its own cultivation systems which can be installed in any urban environment to promote local agriculture. First…

Peruvian Kent mango looks towards China

China represents an interesting market for the Peruvian Kent mango, one of the country's main export fruits, which is well recognized in international markets for its quality.…

The Dominican avocado will be sold in the US market under its own collective export brand

The Dominican Association of Exporters (ADOEXPO) received on Wednesday, February 24, from the National Office of Industrial Property (ONAPI) the certificate of registration of…

Mango display bins available to shippers

In preparation of Cinco de Mango, the National Mango Board (NMB) is offering a limited number of themed display bins to U.S. mango shippers on a first-come, first-served basis.“During May, there is peak availability of three of the main mango varieties, making mangos the perfect ingredient to brighten up…

Season for sea-freighted avocado from Mexico will be mostly over in couple of weeks

As the Mexican avocado season started in September, it’s been going on for quite a while now. According to one exporter, the exports via sea will soon come to an end. However, if the market stays as solid as it has been, airfreight could extend the season for their European clients. The Mexican producer…

New flavors introduced for pistachio snacking nut line

Wonderful® Pistachios is celebrating World Pistachio Day today by introducing the new flavors of BBQ and Sea Salt & Vinegar Wonderful Pistachios No Shells. Available now at select online retailers and hitting store shelves nationwide in the U.S. and Canada by early April, the new Wonderful Pistachios No…

California almond orchards are in full bloom

California is the largest almond producing region in the world, and right now the trees are in full bloom. The trees have just come out of a period of dormancy, which lasts from November through January. During this time, the trees undergo the regular process of losing their leaves for winter. Then,…

‘Garlic and ginger can reduce cancer risk to boost longevity’

Ageing is deterioration of the physiological functions in human body. It is associated with several diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, neurological disease, cancer and…

“Volumes of seed potatoes are much better than last year”

The Egyptian seed potato season has been rather good. One exporter has its hopes to start exporting the produce abroad for the first time this year. Volumes have increased in comparison to last season, and demand hasn’t been lower than usual. Climate change is a challenge for seed potato growers, but can…

Intersection of fresh produce and Artificial Intelligence

You take out your phone, open an app, and inspect a fruit's quality - sounds futuristic, right? Clarifruit has developed a next-gen, computer vision technology that can do exactly that. This Israeli company has brought the future to fresh produce Quality Control (QC). "Ours is the world's first automatic…

University of Michigan students launch company to promote healthy eating

A couple of student entrepreneurs wanted to promote healthier eating on the University of Michigan campus and across the community. Therefore, Jacqueline Sun and Taylor Hurley…

Yearly orange tree-shake allows for quick harvest

The yearly tree-shake on the streets of Valencia, Spain. A rather fast way of harvesting oranges!

Produce freshness solutions company launches plant-based edible coating

AgroFresh Solutions, Inc., a creator of produce freshness solutions, announced the launch of plant-based, edible coatings for produce freshness under the VitaFresh™ Botanicals brand. This launch represents another step in AgroFresh’s decades-long commitment to providing the solutions to extend produce…

South African kiwiberries benefit from cool, wet summer

There is a short, sharp season for South African kiwiberries flown out to Singapore, Hong Kong, Germany and the Netherlands. Danie Meyer grows three varieties of kiwiberry on his farm Nooyenskopje in Magoebaskloof, Limpopo: the Thai, Wha and Rua varieties. The kiwiberry harvest started two weeks ago,…

CBP officers seize about 12,000 Lbs. of marijuana, worth $27 million, within a shipment of papayas

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the commercial facility at the Otay Mesa port of entry seized more than 12,000 pounds of marijuana found commingled within a shipment of papaya hauled by a tractor-trailer rig, with a street value of $27 million. At about 5:45 p.m. on Monday, a…

Entries open for annual reusable packaging award

The Reusable Packaging Association (RPA) has opened the call for entries for the 10th annual Excellence in Reusable Packaging Award. This award recognizes primary (end) user…

Cold weather will likely cause a delayed peak for Louisiana strawberry season

Texas wasn’t the only state hit hard by the winter weather this month. Louisiana, while it didn’t see the snowstorms Texas did, saw temperatures well below freezing. For the strawberry growers who are concentrated around the southeastern part of the state, this has caused some losses, but since the…

Modified atmosphere packaging essential when shipping to far off markets

In the past few days, the Guangzhou Jiangnan wholesale market has gradually recovered but is still moving very slowly. Despite this, more than 3,000 containers full of cherries arrived in China before the Chinese New Year. Felipe Acosta is the operational manager of a Chilean modified atmosphere…

2nd edition of Morocco Berry Conference to take place on 7 and 8 April

The 2nd Edition of the Morocco Berry Conference gathered more than 550 delegates from around 25 countries. It was a great occasion to learn, meet, interact, and do business…

UF/IFAS

New study shows why strawberries must keep (their) cool

Right about now, if you eat a Florida strawberry, odds are it’s going to taste oh-so-good. That’s no accident. Strawberries are in season, and those you see at the grocery store should be shipped and stocked at the right temperature, says a University of Florida scientist. Experts stress the word…

Swedish organic goods sales trend changes: Fell for two years, now on the up again

The Swedish organic farmers' cooperative, Ekologiska Lantbrukarna, has released a new report. It shows that Swedish-produced organic food sales values have risen by SEK 133…

"Aroma is still the hallmark of a quality basil"

The market for fresh herbs is increasing at a fast pace, gaining markets as consumers become more interested in a healthy food experience. In Germany, the largest market in Europe for imported fresh herbs, the import value increased with 42% from 2015 to 2019. The most popular fresh herb in Europe is basil,…