The first containers of carrots coming out of Israel have arrived on the East Coast, and the supply is expected to be constant through the end of July.
“The quality is good, a bit smaller in size right now, but they are all excellent,” said Gary Tozzo of MOR USA in Avondale, Pennsylvania, which supplies the root vegetable to East Coast food distributors, grocery chains and the food service industry.
Carrot pricing has been steady and fairly strong in recent years, primarily due to a smaller California crop caused by various factors, including the long drought.
Carrots are also a heavy commodity, making them expensive to transport.
“Freight cost are fairly close between carrots from California and from Israel. For us, that really opened up the market on the East Coast. Israeli carrots are now sent to the East Coast on a weekly basis from February all the way through to the end of July,” explained Tozzo.
Prices have been strong over this winter, with Californian carrots selling for as high as $38.00 per 50-lb bag in New York. East Coast and overseas producers are seeing a current market of $16.00-17.00 per 50-lb bag in New York.
As for demand, Tozzo called carrots a staple item. “This is a basic commodity, we are not reinventing the wheel, carrots are always a popular vegetable.”
For more information:
Gary Tozzo
MOR USA
+1 610 268 2260
