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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 company says the system “combines environmental and product data with real-time temperature probe data to generate a machine-learning model that is predictive of product temperature and quality ...”

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.

Village Farms Fresh recently partnered with home improvement series, “Military Makeover,” hosted by Montel Williams.

Florida citrus volume will be up this year, and industry leaders were pleased with the outlook in mid-November.

KeHE, a distributor of natural and organic, specialty and fresh products, has identified its top seven trends in the food and beverage industry for 2024, and fresh produce has the potential to play a role in each one.

Dana, Calif.-based Stonehill Produce has a year-round supply of Mexican avocados and offers its customers trusted intelligence on the avocado outlook, says Keith Slattery.

Canadian Produce Marketing Association President Ron Lemaire says the new Loblaw program can be a “catalyst” to the success of small fresh fruit and vegetable businesses.

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