Market Alert Berries (Blueberries, Strawberries) Broccoli crowns Cauliflower Cilantro Cucumbers Garlic-Peeled Peppers, Bell (Yellow, Red) Peppers, Red Fresno Spring Mix Squash (Zucchini, Yellow) Tomatoes (rounds) Overview Broccoli crowns are extremely tight. We are seeing a great deal of branchy and knuckling appearance as well as red, yellow and hollow core. Cauliflower supplies have tightened up considerably compared to previous weeks. Quality is very across the board including hollow core, yellow cast. Celery is tight on larger sizes. Expect all berries to have some issues; very tender, soft and bruised in the clamshell. These issues are going to be prevalent through the week as we work our way out of this fruit. Also, strawberry sizing will be affected. The asparagus market remains steady. Mexico is light on product; still seeing limited numbers on jumbo and XL. Supplies on all herbs are good, except cilantro. Garlic continues to remain tight. The banana and pineapple market are much more stable. Peppers and squash are tight. Please see the alert on cilantro out of Mexico.
Transportation Trucks continue with good availability throughout the U.S. Weather A mid-week warming trend will continue through Saturday in Central California with temperatures rising into the 80 s along the coast and low 100 s inland. A cooling trend will begin on Sunday continuing through next week. Clear skies and moderate temperatures in Northern Baja California will continue with highs declining into the 70 s next week. Daily thunderstorm activity is the dominant trend in the high elevation districts of Central Mexico. Highs will be in the 70 s. Fruits and Vegetables Avocados Pricing is steady on 48s and larger. 60s & 70s continue a slow increase in price. Bananas Supplies are much better, and quality is good. Berries Blueberries: Michigan continues to be tight this week as the start of heavy diversion to storage of fresh Elliott s begin. British Columbia, Canada middle of peak Elliott harvest. Oregon in last rounds of harvest with late season varieties. Blackberries: Blackberries have been making a quick comeback this week. California is off and running now. We will continue to see this volume increase little by little each week. Raspberries: Raspberries are snug this week, out of both North and the South. Total California raspberry projection was down for the week, mostly due to heat and certain ranches declining. We have not really had a full assessment of the heat damage from the weekend so both week s estimates could continue to drop. The positive is that it is supposed to cool off in California this week. Strawberries: California experienced extremely warm weather for this time of the year this past weekend. Watsonville/Salinas experienced record temperatures over
the weekend; mid 90 s and into the 100 s. Overnight temperatures also were very warm mostly in the 56-64 range. Some harvesting crews didn t finish packing on Saturday due to the extremely warm weather. We expect all berries to have some issues coming out of this weekend as fruit will be very tender, soft and bruised in the clamshell. These issues are going to be prevalent through the week as we work our way out of this fruit. Also, strawberry sizing will be affected. Varieties in the North remain the same; mostly producing Monterey, with some Albion and San Andreas. Santa Maria is in clean up mode right now. They are currently picking off a few mud berries, with normal production to get going by the second week in September. California-Arizona Citrus Grapefruit: Both Ruby and White are in line with movement. Lemons: Supplies of California lemons continue to decline, but there are good supplies of Mexican and Chilean available with deals being made. First picks of District 3 lemons begin next week with shipment approx. 10 days later. Extreme heat in desert has been a troubling factor. Limes (Persian): Pricing has stabilized this week. Supplies seem to be in line with movement. Valencia Oranges: Still exceed supplies available of 113s and smaller. Some buyers are moving to Chilean navels to cover smaller sizes. California/Chilean Navels: Good supplies of Chilean and some Australia navels are available on both coasts. Texas/Mexican Citrus: Some Florida storage vals are available. Few Mexican Vals are crossing into Texas. Pineapple: 7 s are a bit short this week. Specialty Citrus Items: Specialty On East Coast Chilean lemons and navels/peru Clementines. On West Coast Chilean Lemons and Navels, few Clementines. California Lettuce Green and Red Leaf: Good supplies on red this week while very light on green. Sizing and quality remain strong on all the leaf items. Green is expected to be 23-24 lbs. and 10-11 inches long. Red is weighing 23-24 lbs. and is 9-10 inches. Quality is very clean on all the leaf items with good coloring this week.
Iceberg Lettuce: Industry volumes are slightly below average. Despite occasional misshapen head, quality is good. Prices will remain high for the balance of the week. Romaine: Supplies will be slightly above average this week. Demand is steady. Quality remains good overall with minimal fringe burn showing. Sizing this week is expected to be from 37-38 lbs. and 11-12 inches long. Romaine Hearts: Supplies are expected to be average this week. Demand is good. Overall quality is good. As the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting cooler we are not seeing the same seeder and fringe burn issues that we struggled with during the warmer weeks. Please note harvesting is still seven days ahead of schedule. Eastern and Western Vegetables Green and Red Bell Peppers: Prices for green bell peppers have firmed with moderate production in Central & Southern California along with strong demand from Eastern buyers. Harvest volume in Michigan has declined with the onset of cooler weather early in the week. The recent shortage on red bells will soon be behind us with increasing California production coming online extending through late September. Red Fresno chili peppers: Tight availability continues for Fresno and Habanero chili peppers. Cucumbers: Late season quality has suffered the effects of hot weather in Baja California and rain in Michigan; production volume has declined. An improvement in quality and yield is expected by September in the East and West. English Cucumber: Hothouse availability in various districts is steady. Green Beans: Prices for round beans in California have returned to extreme levels with moderate production and high prices for growers in Northeast and Mid-Atlantic districts. Availability will improve by mid-september. Zucchini & Yellow Squash: Zucchini and yellow squash are in tight supply in California, due to a reduction in planted acreage which is the result of ongoing drought conditions. The late summer harvest has started in the Central San Joaquin Valley, however overall production is below average. Crop yields are down in Michigan causing tight availability and higher prices in the East. Acorn, Butternut, Spaghetti: Adequate supplies for acorn and butternut from California.
Grapes Nogales and Coachella are winding down although there are still a handful of all varieties available in both of these areas. San Joaquin Valley has started with light supplies, but look for volume to improve. Quality is good. Herbs Fresh herbs continue to be steady, but still some lingering effects from the record rain in July. Tarragon supplies are steady but limited as we deal with some flowering issues. Chervil fresh herb does not like the heat, cold, rain or humidity. Dill supplies will be limited due to one field being hit pretty hard by the rain and humidity. Basil supplies continue to be limited but quality is improving each week. Please continue to watch your inventory as shelf life is remains limited. Cilantro: EXTREME MARKET. There is a Cilantro ban from Central Mexico. The FDA just started the Import alert banning all the Cilantro from Puebla Mexico. The import alert was taken into effect after the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state public health officials have identified annually recurring outbreaks (in 2012, 2013, and 2014) of cyclosporiasis in the United States which have been associated with fresh cilantro from the state of Puebla, Mexico. There is currently another ongoing outbreak of cyclosporiasis in the United States in which both the Texas Department of State Health Services and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection have identified cilantro from the Mexican state of Puebla as a suspect vehicle with respect to separate illness clusters. We do not buy from this region, but please be aware of this issue. Due to this issue we are seeing a very tight market in CA. Prices are high and we are seeing yellowing and decay.
Mangos Supply is getting tight, and prices are high. Melons The cantaloupe market has improved in California. It is the same type of situation with Honeydew s with sizing being light on larger fruit. Quality is good. Watermelons The Watermelon market has improved. Quality out of all areas is very nice. Mixed Vegetables Artichokes: Lighter volume is expected this week, most of the volume this week is expected to be 12's, and 18's. Quality is excellent. Some sizes are steady in price and some sizes are a little higher. Volume is expected to be fair for the next several weeks. Arugula: We are seeing extremely low volume, poor quality and strong demand. Asparagus: Mexico has light supplies. Peru has decent volume, still limited on larger sizes, quality is good. Bok Choy: Quality is good, and supplies are plentiful. Broccoli: Broccoli crowns are extremely tight. We are seeing a great deal of knuckling and branchy appearance as well as red, yellow and hollow core. Carrots: Availability is good for jumbo carrots in California. Quality is good. Cauliflower: Cauliflower has felt the effects of the heat and the market is very active. Cauliflower supplies have tightened up considerably compared to previous weeks. Quality is very across the board including hollow core, yellow cast. Celery: Celery supplies are light in Salinas and Santa Maria this week due to bug and disease pressure keeping yields low. Celery is tight on larger sizes. Demand is good. Prices are trending upward. Michigan is seeing normal production. Corn: The market has been active on corn. Quality is good. Fennel: Supplies for the week will continue to be slightly above average. Demand continues to be decent, but we should have adequate supplies this week and next week with less demand next week due to the Labor Day holiday the following Monday. Sizing throughout the week looks to be predominately 18's and 24's. The field is still battling greener fennel which is continuing to possess more of a fishtail
shape to the bulb. Crews are taking extra steps while harvesting to make sure these issues do not make it into the box and the proper label is being packed with the product. Garlic: We will not know where we will be with garlic for another few months due to the weather in California. The winter didn t get cold enough and the summer was too hot, so the bulbs on the garlic have not bloomed. We will be watching this weekly as the crop is very behind schedule. Ginger: The ginger market has improved. Prices are moderate and will continue to be moderate. Green Cabbage: Supplies are average. Weights and sizing will still be very good, with cartons over 50 lbs. and showing dark green color. Green Onions: Iced: The market is showing slight improvement in pricing, due to past weeks lighter supplies crossing from Mexico into California. We should most likely see a slow but steady rise in market due to severe heat along the Mexico border which should slightly reduce yields in the coming weeks. Iceless: The market remains steady and unchanged with many sales from contracted and or pre-committed pricing. There could be a slight price increase in the coming weeks due to extreme heat and humidity in the Mexico growing region. Kale (Green): Demand is steady, and supplies are plentiful. Quality is very nice but with some thicker ribs present due to the warmer weather both day and night. Mache: Adequate availability. Napa: Quality is good, and supplies are plentiful. Parsley (Curly, Italian): Supplies of curly parsley are up from last week and will remain steady for the next two weeks. Italian parsley numbers are plentiful. Overall quality on both is excellent. Red Cabbage: Red cabbage volume will remain steady for the next week. Quality has been great with very good weights, sizing and color. Snow and Sugar Snap Peas: Snow peas and sugar snaps are still in good demand with good supplies (Peru, Mexico, and California). Prices remain in the highs for both. Quality is good. Spinach (baby): Baby Spinach and Clipped Spinach demand exceeds supply and 10 week averages are in effect. Quality is good with some thicker stems, some occasional weaker texture and half leaves. Again, the cooler nights will begin to help the texture and sizing improve.
Spinach (bunched): Average supplies this week. Though with warmer weather, we are seeing a few more yellow leaves, but the crew is trying to limit that in each bunch. Overall lengths are between 9-10 inches and bunches are full with dark green color. Spring Mix: Spring Mix quality is acceptable. We are working with the strongest components available to insure product quality throughout shelf-life. Onions Fob pricing has come off and is expected to continue with four major growing areas shipping. California, New Mexico, Idaho/Oregon, and Washington are now shipping. We suggest the distributors not carry extra inventory as supplies and transportation are readily available. There are good supplies on all three colors out of all areas. Potatoes (Idaho) New Crop Norkotahs are heavier to larger sized cartons this week with small size cartons and consumer bags being very tight. Old Crop Burbanks will finish this week, and remaining supply is scarce. As more growers begin to ship new crop, we expect the current new crop pricing to soften some on all size cartons. Tomatoes Round, Roma, Cherry and Grape: Demand is very strong on romas and rounds. Roma quality and volume will be improving out of Baja, additionally should see light volume out of central Mexico next week. Domestic product remains to see quality issues, with smaller sized fruit remaining to be short and in an EXTREME MARKET. California volume will remain well below average while Baja will remain steady. East Coast volume will remain light. Cherry Tomato availability is light yet quality remains good. Grape Tomatoes are steady with excellent quality. Overall quality remains good in the west and fair in the east. Tree Fruit Not much has changed with Tree Fruit. Between the heat and the volume there continues to be excellent buying opportunities to promote tree fruit at the BEST delivered prices of the year. The sizes of Yellow Peaches and Yellow Nectarines are peaking on larger sizes as well, although volume on Nectarines is down slightly. White Peaches and White Nectarines are the best quality and sweetness of the season. Good supplies of Black Plums.
Kiwi: Late-season controlled atmosphere kiwi from Chile is in good supply. The California season will begin early this year (mid-september); a smooth transition is in the forecast. Washington Apples and Pears Demand is good as well as movement. Back to school has already started in many parts of the country, expect higher prices on small sizes. There are still good buying opportunities on 100 larger reds. Reds, grannies and golds should last until new crop begins in the fall, quality remains good. New crop Galas, Ginger Golds & Granny Smiths have started. Washington & Hood River Bartlett s are available along with California Bartletts.