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Wednesday, September 27, 2023


Greg Akins with Catalytic Generators
“40 years of exhibiting at trade shows has helped us grow globally”
It is a big anniversary year at Catalytic Generators. The company celebrates its 50th anniversary and this year also marks 40 years of exhibiting at IFPA’s Global Show, the former PMA Fresh Summit. Much has changed in the past half century, both in ethylene ripening as well as the trade show scene. When…

Central Minnesota starts to wrap up strong season on fresh potatoes
Fresh potato supplies out of central Minnesota are coming to an end for the season. “We have two farms that will be done with reds by the end of the week and I only have about 30 acres of Russets left,” says Kevin R. Olson of Ben Holmes Potato-Owner & Sales. Following the start of the season in the last…


Washington anticipates 130 million boxes of apples this season
Washington is welcoming a better apple crop this season compared to the one of 2022 which saw deep freezes and other inclement weather affect yield. Rochelle Bohm, vice president of marketing for CMI Orchards LLC notes that while last year’s crop hit around the 100 million box mark, this year the state…

Production increasing on California’s Fuyu persimmons
Persimmons out of California’s Central Valley will see a slightly later start to the season. “There will be small amounts of harvesting of persimmons starting maybe around October 9. We’re about five to seven days behind a typical start because of the weather. It’s been this way with many commodities in…


Oscar Salgado:
“Serious problems affecting both volumes and quality of Peru table grapes”
As the hotter than average weather in Peru is slowing the growth and exports of blueberries, the opposite is happening with the table grape harvest, which has now speeded up the harvest to nearly a month earlier. According to Oscar Salgado, a table grapes expert, giving feedback on the early production…

Chiquita is considering to exit Panama
Chiquita Panama is analyzing leaving the country, according to statements by Government Minister Roger Tejada. “Every day there is a tiny group of people who close the Bocas…


Mission Produce elevates direct-to-retail service in Europe
Mission Produce, Inc. who sources, produces, and distributes fresh Hass avocados with additional offerings in mangoes, announced the elevation of its direct-to-retail service…

Arizona State University study found:
"Shoppers may pay 50% more for tomatoes if the US puts duties on Mexican tomatoes"
The Florida Tomato Exchange has asked the Department of Commerce to apply duties to imported Mexican tomatoes. As part of the legal proceedings in the case, the following study from Arizona State University Researcher Tim Richards was posted to the public record. A copy of the study is available here. The…


APHIS authorizes importation of fresh baby kiwi fruit from France into Continental United States
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is authorizing the importation of commercial baby kiwi fruit (Actinidia arguta) from…

Texas grapefruit is heading to Vietnam
Wonderful Citrus is the largest fresh citrus grower, harvester, packer, and exporter in the Western United States, with offices in California and Texas. For many years, the…

Providing a unique greenhouse experience and launch of new sweet pepper variety
Red Sun Farms™, located at booth 957 at the upcoming Global Produce & Floral Show, is dedicated to providing a unique greenhouse experience. This booth, recognized as the 2022 Best of Show Island Booth, offers fresh ideas, exciting developments, and distinctive features. This year, the company is…

Baby Butter Cakes
Collection of luxury lettuces unveiled
Grower-shipper Babé Farms is introducing a new product at the IFPA Global Produce & Floral Show in Anaheim, California on Friday and Saturday, October 20-21. The latest addition to Babé's collection of luxury lettuces is Baby Butter Cakes™. These petite heads of butter lettuce, available in both green…

New bag closure has better potential for recycling
Kwik Lok introduces Enviro-Lok, the new polypropylene bag closure made to keep products safe and fresh, while also delivering a better potential for recycling. Kwik Lok will feature the Enviro-Lok at the Global Floral and Produce Show in Anaheim, California (USA) October 19-21, booth #3331 and at the…

‘Potatoes Forever!’ campaign launched in Europe
Europe has unveiled a €3.2 million initiative, named “Potatoes Forever!“ It is aimed at educating the public about sustainable practices within the fresh potato industry. The…

Olivier Magaud, Solema-Luzo
The French yellow onion campaign starts with “very high prices”
The 2023 French yellow onion campaign looks more promising than in 2022, which was “catastrophic” in terms of volumes and prices. Olivier Magaud describes the current issues faced by Solema-Luzo, a French company specialized in alliums. Olivier Magaud The campaign starts with “very high prices”The French…

Fermín Utrilla, of Biodiversa: “Since July, the demand for onions has been exceeding the supply”
“It remains to be seen how the storage capacity will be affected by the latest rains in September”
According to Fermín Utrilla, from Biodiversa, the onion acreage in Castile-La Mancha is expected to shrink compared to previous years due to the high rental prices of land for cultivation and the higher costs of electricity, diesel, fertilizers, etc. "The sector expects normal yields; Albacete, an…
Vegetables more »

Arizona State University study found:
"Shoppers may pay 50% more for tomatoes if the US puts duties on Mexican tomatoes"
The Florida Tomato Exchange has asked the Department of Commerce to apply duties to imported Mexican tomatoes. As part of the legal proceedings in the case, the following study from Arizona State University Researcher Tim Richards was posted to the public record. A copy of the study is available here. The…
Writing to U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo:
Florida Congressional delegation calls on Commerce Department to end tomato deal with Mexico
Last week, members of the Florida congressional delegation called on U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to end the 2019 Tomato Suspension Agreement with Mexico. Senator…

Paul Hussey - Donnelly Fresh Food
Irish fresh produce grower will be supplying pumpkins to three of Ireland’s main retailers this year
Irish fresh produce grower and supplier Donnelly Fresh Produce will be supplying pumpkins to three of Ireland’s main retailers this year. The company has been supplying Aldi and Supervalu /Centra for the past few years and this year adds SPAR to the list. “We will supply 40,000 of our Irish pumpkins to Aldi…
Bananas more »

Chiquita is considering to exit Panama
Chiquita Panama is analyzing leaving the country, according to statements by Government Minister Roger Tejada. “Every day there is a tiny group of people who close the Bocas…
Potatoes and Onions more »
Maine
Wet fields jeopardize parts of Aroostook’s potato crop
Constant wet weather delayed planting season in Aroostook County, where about 90 percent of Maine’s potatoes are grown, and now it’s jeopardizing the multimillion-dollar crop.…

Central Minnesota starts to wrap up strong season on fresh potatoes
Fresh potato supplies out of central Minnesota are coming to an end for the season. “We have two farms that will be done with reds by the end of the week and I only have about 30 acres of Russets left,” says Kevin R. Olson of Ben Holmes Potato-Owner & Sales. Following the start of the season in the last…

Harbin University looks at the future of potato production in salt-affected regions
Researchers at Northeastern Agricultural University in Harbin, China studied the distribution of potato acreage in relation to salt-affected areas. They also evaluated the…
Exotic/Tropical fruit & vegetables more »

Abdallah and Mirna Fadel of Fadel Trading Company (Lebanon)
"We offer average avocado prices to European imports"
Some ten years ago, Fadel Trading Company planted its first avocado trees on the edge of its banana plantations, purely as protection against occasional strong winds. Four years later, given avocados' skyrocketing popularity at home and especially overseas, they established proper orchards. By 2023, this…

The value of Peruvian ginger exports up to August has increased by 74%
The Peruvian ginger export value up until August has far exceeded the increase in volumes shipped. Thus, while shipments increased by 49% to 47,550 tons, their value climbed…

Production increasing on California’s Fuyu persimmons
Persimmons out of California’s Central Valley will see a slightly later start to the season. “There will be small amounts of harvesting of persimmons starting maybe around October 9. We’re about five to seven days behind a typical start because of the weather. It’s been this way with many commodities in…

"We are witnessing a significant uptick in Mejhoul date production"
The harvest of the Moroccan Mejhoul dates has been ongoing for about a month now, and Oussama El Mir, Head of Operations and Business Development of Moroccan date exporter Medjool Star, expects a positive season: “The 2023 date season at Medjool Star has gotten off to an excellent start. It started early…

APHIS authorizes importation of fresh baby kiwi fruit from France into Continental United States
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is authorizing the importation of commercial baby kiwi fruit (Actinidia arguta) from…
Company news more »

Fruitsbusiness and CIAL Dun & Bradstreet join forces:
"This alliance marks an important step towards protecting and strengthening the global fruit and vegetable sector"
Fruitsbusiness, of RPJ Software Innovation Limited, is pleased to announce an unprecedented collaboration with CIAL Dun & Bradstreet, a prestigious US company specialized in providing business and financial information to companies globally. With more than 180 years of market experience, Dun & Bradstreet…

Lipman appoints new head of watermelon sales
Lipman is thrilled to announce the appointment of Doug Miller as the new head of watermelon sales. With 22 years of experience in the produce sales sector and a deep-rooted history with Lipman, Miller is set to lead the charge in amplifying the company's watermelon distribution across the East Coast.…

Michigan brand expands beyond apples
BelleHarvest, one of Michigan's oldest grower-owned distributors of fresh apples, proudly celebrates the success of its local Michigan vegetable program. This achievement not…

Mission Produce elevates direct-to-retail service in Europe
Mission Produce, Inc. who sources, produces, and distributes fresh Hass avocados with additional offerings in mangoes, announced the elevation of its direct-to-retail service…

Kuehne+Nagel and Capgemini agree to join forces to deliver an end-to-end supply chain capability
Kuehne+Nagel and Capgemini today announced that they have entered into a strategic agreement to create an industry-leading supply chain orchestration service offering to…
Greenhouse more »

"We're going to Madrid also to collect news and rumors"
Fewer investments in covers despite climate change
The entire world is dealing with various crises - the war, higher prices, climate change and social and geo-political tension. A series of risks and difficulties that inevitably have a negative impact on companies, including those in the primary sector. Retilplast production plant in Campagna (Salerno) "We…
Logistics more »

Study claims that negative consequences for European container shipping will intensify
With all the attention on U.S. consumers and inventory levels, Europe’s importance to shipping lines can get lost in the shuffle. The Asia-Europe trade is pivotal to container…

Fresh Del Monte's logistics arm experiences 200 percent growth in three years
Tricont Trucking & Logistics, the inland logistics arm of Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc., announced a new website and branding to enhance its customer experience and broaden its customer base. This comes as the company has seen expansion over the last few years due to providing complete third-party…
Machinery more »

Tomra Foods -
Machine manufacturer focuses on new solutions for Europe and Latin America
Tomra Food will spotlight its sorting, grading, processing, and post-harvest solutions in Madrid next month. A team of Tomra Food’s experts will be on hand to discuss the company’s new European hub in Valencia, Spain, which opened this month, and the direct-to-market approach now being taken by Tomra…
General fresh produce more »

Top takeaways from Washington Conference
Hundreds of International Fresh Produce Association members descended on the nation’s capital for The Washington Conference. The event is for the produce and floral industry to come to Washington to hear from industry leaders, policy experts and influence policymakers. Attendees bring the produce…

Greg Akins with Catalytic Generators
“40 years of exhibiting at trade shows has helped us grow globally”
It is a big anniversary year at Catalytic Generators. The company celebrates its 50th anniversary and this year also marks 40 years of exhibiting at IFPA’s Global Show, the former PMA Fresh Summit. Much has changed in the past half century, both in ethylene ripening as well as the trade show scene. When…
Management more »

Restrain appoints Dr. Benedikt Cramer as new Managing Director
Restrain, a provider of ethylene-based sprout control solutions, has announced the appointment of Dr. Benedikt Cramer as its new Managing Director. The current MD Dirk Garos…
Miscellaneous more »

Yen hits eleven-month low against dollar
On Monday, the dollar hit an eleven-month high against the Japanese yen and an almost 10-month high against a basket of currencies after the Federal Reserve last week signaled…
Fruit more »

Idaho man breaks personal record for catching grapes while juggling
David Rush from Idaho broke his own Guinness World Record by catching 39 grapes in his mouth in one minute while juggling. Rush has broken more than 250 Guinness World…

Washington anticipates 130 million boxes of apples this season
Washington is welcoming a better apple crop this season compared to the one of 2022 which saw deep freezes and other inclement weather affect yield. Rochelle Bohm, vice president of marketing for CMI Orchards LLC notes that while last year’s crop hit around the 100 million box mark, this year the state…

Shipments of cranberries from Wisconsin and Massachusetts forecast down this season
The USDA has estimated the U.S. national cranberry crop for 2023 at 7.62 million barrels, down 5% from the 2022 crop year. In Wisconsin, the largest growing state, the USDA…

USDA
More than half of apples available for US consumption used in juices
Apples are a fall staple, showing up in lunch boxes, pies, cobblers, crisps, and cider. In 2021, 45.9 pounds of apples per person were available for domestic consumption, according to USDA, Economic Research Service’s (ERS) Food Availability data product. Fifty-two percent of the available apples for…

Late summer heat and sun promise sweet Ontario apples
The hot start to September, coupled with predictions for a few warm and sunny upcoming weeks are setting Ontario up for a tasty apple crop this year. That’s after patchy light frosts in the spring left some growers in the province fearing a smaller-than-normal apple harvest for 2023. However good…
KANZI® 2023-2024 European campaign -
Belgium owned apple brand's European season is off to an energetic start
A dynamic demand during the summer quickly emptied the stocks of KANZI® apples from Southern Hemisphere origins. European KANZI grower cooperatives are ready again to fuel the…

DataLiner
Brazilian melon exports surge in August, driven by European demand
Brazilian melon exports for the 2023/24 season kicked off at a brisk pace in August, resulting in a notable increase in shipments compared to the same month last year. According to data released by the Secretariat of Foreign Trade (Secex), the volume exported in August reached approximately 5,910 tonnes,…
Deal signed to market Italian raspberry Amalia Rossa in the UK and Ireland
The Summer Berry Company (TSBC) announces an agreement with established Italian breeder Berrytech for the production and distribution of Amalia Rossa raspberries in the UK and Ireland. The partnership grants TSBC the exclusive right to market Amalia Rossa (formerly BP190), grown in Portugal within the UK…

Oscar Salgado:
“Serious problems affecting both volumes and quality of Peru table grapes”
As the hotter than average weather in Peru is slowing the growth and exports of blueberries, the opposite is happening with the table grape harvest, which has now speeded up the harvest to nearly a month earlier. According to Oscar Salgado, a table grapes expert, giving feedback on the early production…
Herbs more »

Lorenzo Fernández, from Freshpania:
“The excessive supply from aromatic herb producers has been taking a toll on the price levels in recent years”
The rains recorded in recent days in the Spanish Region of Murcia have coincided with the planting of various crops, including several varieties of fresh aromatic herbs produced by Aromatic Factory and marketed by Freshpania, which handle about 2 million kilos annually. "All our crops will be ready on…
Agenda more »

Organic Grower Summit:
Regenerative agriculture and what it means for organic
'Regenerative agriculture' is a fast-growing term helping reshape how food is grown, but what does it mean for the organic fresh produce industry? A panel of organic industry leaders will address the trends and future outlook related to regenerative and organic production at the Organic Grower Summit…
Citrus more »

Israeli farmer grows world-record-breaking lemon
On January 8, 2003, Aharon Shemoel grew a world-record-breaking lemon on his farm in Kefar Zeitim, Israel. This lemon weighed 11 pounds, 9.7 ounces, or 5.265 kilograms.…

Texas grapefruit is heading to Vietnam
Wonderful Citrus is the largest fresh citrus grower, harvester, packer, and exporter in the Western United States, with offices in California and Texas. For many years, the…

Abel Alarcón, from Brio Fruits: "We have ruled out marketing the Clemen Rubí due to a lack of good sizes"
"This year there will be a predominance of small and medium sizes in citrus"
Drought and extreme weather conditions have had a notable impact on this year's citrus production forecasts, especially for oranges and mandarins. According to the estimate from the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, a low citrus production is expected, similar to last year's, but with…

Violence towards Mexican growers affects prices of lemons and other products
Threats, fees and extortion are some of the insecurity issues experienced by lemon or avocado producers in several Michoacán municipalities. Violence and insecurity lead to…

Egyptian citrus exports to US would be ‘calamity’ for California growers
After a request was made to the USDA, Egyptian citrus might be on the way to the US. A pest risk assessment has been drafted by USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection…
Organic more »

USDA
Organic US strawberries bring growers higher prices than conventional berries
Fresh strawberry prices tend to exhibit strong seasonal trends in part because of their relatively short shelf life. Even being refrigerated immediately after harvest, fresh-picked strawberries last about 1 to 2 weeks, reducing the ability to store the crop and maintain a consistent supply. In the United…
Health more »
University of Colorado School of Medicine
Research uncovers mechanism underpinning ginger’s effect on immune function
New research has found that whole-ginger extracts can make neutrophils – a type of white blood cell – more resistant to neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation. NET…
IT more »

American IoT data carrier platform company launches humidity sensing
IoT data carrier platform company Wiliot has added humidity sensing to its Visibility Platform for products throughout the supply chain. The traceability technology enables…
Innovations more »

Pat McCullough of ProducePay:
“We help growers in 17 countries bring their produce to market”
Back in 2015, Pablo Borquez Schwarzbeck, a fourth-generation farmer from Mexico, founded ProducePay. The company offers a financing solution for growers and distributors of fresh produce and was founded with the idea to help Latin American farmers export their products to the United States. “About…
Processed fruit and vegetables more »

Egypt’s City Farm targets $50 mln in sales of frozen agricultural products in US market
City Farm is an Egyptian company that specializes in exporting frozen vegetables to the US. It has stated that it aims to increase its sales in this market to $50 mln this…
Cooling more »

Interko -
At-source fresh fruit ripening expands in Latin America
Interko the designer, manufacturer and installer of state-of-the-art fresh fruit ripening rooms, is pleased to announce the expansion of its at-source ripening offer in response to growing demand worldwide for their energy-efficient technology. Interko is partnering increasingly with growers and processors…
Food safety more »

Kenyan government guarantees pest free produce exports to Europe
The Kenyan government will ensure fresh produce exports to Europe and other export destinations. Principal Secretary for Crop Development Kello Harsama said that due to…
Nuts and dried fruits more »

"We are at the peak of Barhi dates harvest"
The Egyptian dates season is progressing with the harvest of the Barhi variety after the Medjool dates began the campaign. Aya Montasser, export manager at Fresh Yard, comments on the Barhi campaign. Aya said, "Barhi Harvest is going well, we started in August and expect peak volumes from September to…

USDA
European Union Tree Nuts AnnualEU-27 imported $6.8 billion in tree nuts from the world in 2022
In 2022, the European Union (EU)-27 imported $6.8 billion in tree nuts from the world. The EU remains a net importer of tree nuts for all products since demand highly exceeds domestic production. The United States is the largest EU-27 tree nuts supplier, accounting for 39 percent of total imports, with…
Packaging and Labelling more »

Avocados From Mexico launches PLU stickers
Avocados From Mexico, based in Irving, Texas, recently shared that it broke another record in its 2022-2023 fiscal year, importing 2.48 billion pounds of avocados. In part,…
Climate more »

Eurica Scholtz – Berg River Irrigation Board
Berg River authority calls for state of emergency
A very deep cut-off low pressure system, connecting the lower with the upper atmosphere, brought two months’ worth of winter rainfall to the Western Cape in three days.“The impact has been terrible. The Berg River has created new canals for itself, breaking its banks and swept away many hectares of…
Retail more »

Dreamstime
UNFI finished fiscal 2023 on a down noteTarget said it would close nine stores across four U.S. states
US: Kroger breaks ground on first Marketplace storeKroger has started construction on its first Marketplace store in Plano, Texas, which will replace a smaller Kroger store nearby, reports local news outlet The Dallas Morning News. Kroger's first Marketplace store is the largest format at 124,000 square…