In view of the current weather conditions, Florian Wahl, Managing Director of Mack und Gerstner, expects the quality of lettuce from the Palatinate to last another two to three weeks. "Prices were at a very low level this year. The demand for leaf lettuce as a commodity has been declining for years. The trend is clearly moving towards fresh-cut salads, both for the catering trade and for some weekly market traders. They are now buying ready-made mixed salads, which are then resold accordingly."
Florian Wahl
In the catering industry, this is partly due to a lack of staff, while private households seem to lack the time to prepare food, for example when both parents are working. "Sales of products such as romaine hearts or crispy salads, which are easier to prepare, are still within reasonable limits. However, interest in other salads, especially lettuce, is gradually declining."
Imported goods from France and Spain ready to take off
Labour costs are also having an impact on growers, who were also confronted with difficult weather conditions this year. "In winter, 70 per cent of our salads in our wholesale market range come from France and 30 per cent from Italy. In the fresh-cut sector, we use produce from France and Spain." Currently, the quality is said to be good, thanks to the weather conditions. "The imported goods are already in the starting blocks. The prices for contract goods, which we mainly use for fresh-cut production, are at the same level as last year."
Increasing proportion of organic produce
There is a clear upward trend in the organic share at Mack and Gerstner. "Demand is increasing, especially in the fresh-cut sector, as we supply many public institutions and they are increasingly obliged to offer a minimum number of organic products." The production facility is located in Schifferstadt.
The financial year has been satisfactory so far. "Despite the overall circumstances, such as the consequences of the wars, inflation, higher labour and operating material costs, we can still be satisfied overall."
Declining wholesale business
"The traditional wholesale market business with weekly market traders and smaller shops that mainly buy fresh produce is declining year on year." Instead, the company is focussing more and more on the fresh-cut sector.
For more information:
Geschäftsführer Florian Wahl
Mack & Gerstner GmbH & Co. KG
Am Rösserweg
67105 Schifferstadt
Telefon 06235-9578-0
info@mack-gerstner.de
https://www.mack-gerstner.de