Collinsville, Ill.-based packaging manufacturer Sev-Rend Corp. is seeing increased focus on recyclable packaging, said Jeff Watkin, marketing director.
Forecasts were pointing up for most tree nuts and dried fruit crops as the 2018-19 marketing year wound down, and the next crops were starting or completing their newest harvests.
Florida tomato suppliers looking to push product through retail and foodservice channels have some help from the state department of agriculture’s Fresh From Florida program.
Weather issues during the 2019 growing and harvest season had potato prices soaring during the pre-holiday period, with little change expected after the first of the year, marketers said.
The chip, frozen and other potato-processing businesses continue to touch the fresh industry, but that touch might be a bit stronger this year, marketers say.
Potato prices may be higher this year than last because of tigher supplies, but the product remains a good value, and its versatility certainly hasn’t changed, marketers say.
A rainier-than-usual 2019 is finishing up on a dry, cooperative note in Central America and the Caribbean, as the early winter season in the U.S. gets underway.
Sales weren’t the problem for organic apples in 2019, but markets were, said Addie Pobst, organic integrity and logistics coordinator with Mount Vernon, Wash.-based Viva Tierra Organic Inc.
