Latest News From Fresh Talk

I visited in late August with Matt Angell about California San Joaquin Valley water issues.

The point of reference for so many things in life is the historical record.

The “Report on Seasonal and Perishable Products in U.S. Commerce” was released yesterday, and it packs a wallop.

Canada’s produce sector felt the brunt of COVID-19 early, and a report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service puts the ongoing experience into words.

Jack Bobo, CEO of food consulting firm Futurity, Potomac, Md., took a moment to talk frankly about COVID-19 during a speech Aug. 20 at the U.S. Apple Association’s virtual Outlook 2020 event.

At the Fresh Produce Industry Discussion Group on LinkedIn, I offered a poll question that states, “As a produce professional, what is your biggest worry?”

Potato acreage will be lower this year but by how much?

With new crop harvest beginning and storage supplies dwindling, it is always a market-moving time for the apple crop in August.

There are voices of concern about the third round of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farmers to Families Food Box Program.

How worried are you about the coronavirus?

How much productivity is being lost on American farms because of COVID-19?

The demand for citrus has not disappointed in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era, but the supply side has lagged a bit.

Just how influential is the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen list?

Churches, corporations, restaurants, schools, and practically every American institution have been challenged by the coronavirus.

Another bit of good news has been published about the medical benefits that come from eating more fruits and vegetables.

Where do consumers place their trust?

U.S. shipping point prices for fruits and vegetables have been more up than down since the start of COVID-19 lockdown measures in early March.

Yes, it is 500 plus pages, but consider the ambition of the title.

Now that the USMCA has begun, what can we say about the North American Free Trade Agreement?

Two days into a week-long poll, industry operators are weighing in on the question “What is the top sustainability priority for your company?"

What is your top goal for sustainability?

There can never be enough sweet corn or cherries for Fourth of July retail promotions, and that is especially true this year.

It is worse than you think.

I was talking with an East Coast distributor the other day who mentioned that fruit buying patterns have been unusually hard to anticipate.

Fresh produce market prices have been quite variable in the weeks since the COVID-19 crisis began in March. 

Has the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farmers to Families Food Box Program made a difference in fresh produce market conditions? 

Are the U.S. and China headed for a “cold war”? 

Public comments are due June 1 to the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, and procrastinators are peppering the committee with plenty of last-minute directions about what they should do next.

Blame it on the coronavirus.

Just how vulnerable is our food supply?

No good deed goes unpunished.

Are we already in the “new normal”?

Check out leading U.S. fresh produce imports for the last five years and longer-term charts of U.S. berry and avocado imports.

Produce companies should not back off marketing or advertising efforts now.

What’s the point of creating a breath-taking produce department when the produce is picked up by an Instacart shopper? 

In what ways will the fresh produce industry be changed permanently by COVID-19?

What is the annual consumer “spend” on fresh produce? That number, organized by age, income, education level, race, and more is available from the Consumer Expenditures data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Though there is a glimmer of hope now that states are beginning to reopen, the global economic body blows that the COVID-19 pandemic has delivered continue.

The market distress that the COVID-19 pandemic has created for growers and ranchers has captured near-universal awareness.

Rarely has the produce industry less predictable than it is now.

A look at the Google Trends for the week of April 14 to April 21 reveals some of the top questions in the search bar related to "restaurants" is, “When are restaurants going to reopen?”

There is garlic and then there is everything else.

What kind of innovation is needed to feed x(number) billion people in Y(date)?

In the continuing market disruption related to the COVID-19, supermarkets are not running their typical amount of weekly promotions for fruits and vegetables.

A previous post looked at the rise bagged produce in recent weeks

The Packer’s Tom Karst visited April 6 with Steve Lutz, senior vice president of insights and innovation for Category Partners.

Retail ads for fresh produce are way down because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Relax. Newly updated figures show 2019 per capita statistics for fresh vegetables, and it is good news.

Germany may lose up to a third of its seasonal agricultural workers in the wake of reports that it has closed its borders with Bulgaria and Romania.

The coronavirus COVID-19 has brought unprecedented challenges to our world.