Latest News From VEGETABLES

After tight supplies of elevated pricing for 2022 apple and potato crops, the 2023 season is bringing price relief and promotion opportunities to consumers.

A contentious issue for decades, the terms of the U.S. tomato trade with Mexico again hung in the balance in 2023.

The Packer’s Organic Fresh Trends 2024 data shows younger shoppers, higher-income households, those with more kids at home were among those reporting the highest organic artichoke purchase rates.

The versatile potato is one fresh produce commodity that consumers turn to when they are faced with grocery price inflation, The Packer's Fresh Trends 2024 survey reveals.

A new medley variety pack from Southwind Farms is now available, says Derek Peterson, vice president of sales and operations for Wilcox Fresh, Rexburg, Idaho.

Make room in the shopping cart for the mighty potato.

U.S. fresh potato exports soared 16% in the 12 months from October 2022 through September 2023, USDA trade numbers say.

As importers argue for its preservation, Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott has reiterated his request for the immediate termination of the 2019 tomato suspension agreement.

NoKota Packers is locked and loaded for the 2023-24 season, says Carissa Olsen, president and CEO of the Buxton, N.D.-based marketer.

Great potato promotion opportunities for Idaho potatoes will abound in 2024, says Eric Beck, director of marketing for Idaho Falls, Idaho-based Wada Farms Marketing Group.

The company said a random sampling of its bagged spinach yielded a positive result for Listera monocytogenes.

Potato movement has been good throughout the Red River Valley at the start of this season.

Using duties to replace the suspension agreement that regulates U.S. imports of Mexican tomatoes would make things far worse for the U.S. tomato market, says Javier Badillo of the FPAA in this guest column.

Ranking second only to tomatoes among vegetables in retail sales, U.S. retail potato sales topped $3.78 billion in 2022, up 15.3% compared with 2021.

Farmer's Best LLC will increase its acreage in seedless cucumbers, elongated red peppers, and eggplant programs, says Sasha Lewton, sales manager.

Based on market conditions in early December, the 2023-24 season is setting up to be a very good year for potato promotions.

Volume of Mexican produce items was expected to increase for PennRose Farms LLC after Thanksgiving, says spokesperson Christopher Ciruli.

An upcoming webinar from the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas aims to help U.S. importers of Mexican tomatoes to better understand the implications of a potential termination to the 2019 suspension agreement.

The value-added salad company is bringing back its annual programming to help customers make healthy choices and win prizes during the start of the new year.

The Kearny, N.J.-based commercial-scale indoor vertical farm has added a new fruit tomato, available at select Whole Foods Markets.

The Packer's Fresh Trends 2024 consumer survey reveals demographic variables in households that tend to point to higher fresh potato purchases.

The Mexican produce season started a little earlier than usual for Rio Rico, Ariz.-based Rich River Produce, says founder Edgar Duarte.

Welcome to a $9 million orgy of crop insurance fraud by an unassuming farm couple.

U.S. imports of Mexican tomatoes through all ports in 2022 totaled $2.48 billion, and this Texas port district accounted for 57% of all Mexican tomato value.

As the Coachella Valley, Calif., season begins, Ocean Mist is eyeing strong volumes to meet customer demand through the holiday season and into the new year.

BDA/Dorot Farm, a grower group of fresh and sweet carrots is launching its new crop for the upcoming season in the North American region.

South Mill Champs, a vertically integrated North American grower and supplier of fresh mushrooms and functional mushroom foods, has acquired World Fresh Produce, a global fresh produce sourcing organization.

During a recent string of Thanksgiving holidays, romaine lettuce has not been in any news related to foodborne outbreaks. And that hasn't happened by chance, says guest columnist and former FDA official Frank Yiannas.

The value of U.S. tomato imports from Mexico from October 2022 through September 2023 reached $2.7 billion.

In Mexico, "growers throughout the country use greenhouses, shade houses, high-tunnel systems, and other climate-control technologies to supply the U.S. market year-round,” the report said.

U.S. imports of Mexican fresh vegetables enjoyed a strong year in 2022-23, however, USDA numbers say the value of U.S. imports of Mexican fresh fruit was flat compared with 2021-22.

Availability of water in growing regions is one concern for Mexican produce growers and distributors this season, says Lance Jungmeyer, president of the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas.

Year-round programs, snacking commodities, organics and flavor are all trends for Mexican produce  — and all are important to the Divine Flavor brand, says Michael DuPuis, quality assurance manager.

The Ontario-based greenhouse grower is expanding production to the West Coast, partnering with grower Millennium Pacific to bring California-grown Hiiros Tomatoes to market.

The grower of potatoes and onions discusses its volume and quality as consumers prepare to celebrate over meals with family and friends.

The salad kits, featuring greenhouse-grown lettuce as well as toppings and dressings, are now available at select Kroger and Jewel-Osco stores, with additional distribution in early 2024.

“Right now, Arizona farms are actively growing and harvesting all leafy greens from iceberg and romaine to spinach and spring mix,” said Teressa Lopez, administrator of the Arizona LGMA program.

The University of Florida has come up with a tomato variety that some say could be a game-changer for the state’s tomato industry.

Plenty of potatoes should be available for holiday repasts this year, and ample volume should mean favorable prices for consumers.

Grower-shippers say onion volume has inched upward this season, and plenty of good-quality onions should be available for the holidays and beyond.

It’s not easy being a tomato farmer in Florida, but even as their numbers dwindle, enough die-hard farmers remain to earn Florida the No. 1 ranking for the value of fresh-market tomatoes in the U.S.

A researcher at the University of Tennessee Herbert College of Agriculture has developed a potato plant that can detect gamma radiation.

A new report from the Mushroom Council reveals long-term shifts in consumer preferences for fresh mushrooms.

Later this month, San Joaquin Valley, Calif.-based Live Oak Farms is poised to begin importing product from its farming operations in Mexico to help complete a 52-week cycle of availability on green and red bell peppers.

Bananas, plantains, yuca and a variety of tropical produce could be in short supply this fall because of excessive rain in South and Central America, said Billy Mascari, of Cedro Banana Distributors.

The Packer caught up with Northland Potato Growers Association on camera at IFPA’s recent Global Produce and Floral Show to learn more about what makes potatoes from the Red River Valley unique.

Bako Sweet is offering tips for and partnering with retailers to transform holiday produce displays.

Ocean Mist Farms unveiled a 30-by-30-foot booth at the recent Global Produce and Floral Show, providing an opportunity to tell the story of the fourth-generation legacy company and its value-added products.

The state's 2023-24 tomato acreage should be similar to last season’s, but volume should be up because Hurricane Ian put a damper on production last year, said Michael Schadler of the Florida Tomato Exchange.

Edmonton, Alberta-based The Little Potato Co. is seeking to make the holiday season even brighter with its “A Little Holiday Happiness Is …” campaign.