Search - The Packer

Mother Nature seemed to smile on growers throughout the U.S. as the 2019-20 citrus season got underway.

Food safety issues, particularly E. coli outbreaks, continued to disrupt the industry in 2019, even as the Food and Drug Administration announced a New Era of Smarter Food Safety initiative.

California growers were somewhat happier with the way this year’s citrus season was shaping up compared to last year.

Mandarins continue to gain popularity among consumers, often at the expense of navel oranges. But it’s way too soon to count navels out.

Citrus has become one of the produce department’s leading organic items.

Now is the time to respond to both the 2019 Census of Horticultural Specialties and the 2019 Organic Survey, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says.

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.

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.

This once rough-around-the-edges industry was, for centuries, a man’s world. It would take a particularly tenacious individual to change the status quo.