This week’s fresh update
March 2, 2021 | Volume 7, Issue 59
Client Advisory: We’re monitoring the impact of the corona virus around the world.
Stay connected with produce and transportation updates.
Conventional Vegetables
Asparagus
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Bell Peppers
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Broccoli
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Cabbage
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Cucumbers
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Leaf Lettuce
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Potatoes
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Squash
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Sweet Corn
Florida is producing supplies but has limited volume right now. There is some percentage corn available but watch for volume to remain on the lighter side in the coming weeks. Pricing has dropped to more reasonable levels.
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Conventional Fruits
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Avocados
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Bush Berries
Supply exceeds demand. Late vessels are lining up along with on-time vessels to the U.S., so we are seeing a late-season glut of imported blueberries hit both coasts. Along with Central Mexico starting to pick up production as well, the blueberry market has done an about-face for at least another two weeks, and then supplies will drop off very quickly.
Blackberries
Demand exceeds supply. The freeze in Mexico a few weeks ago is driving up the market on blackberries as there is less production. New districts will start producing mid-March.
Raspberries
Demand exceeds supply. Mexico continues to be impacted by the freeze damage in January, followed by cold temps this past week. Supplies are expected to remain low until new districts in March. Another freeze happened over the weekend, so the issues within raspberries will continue well into March.
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Cantaloupe
Cantaloupe yields and sizing out of Guatemala and Honduras are still off due to the lingering effects of the early-season hurricanes. Sugar and quality have been marginal, at best. The rest of the offshore season is expected to continue this way. Most fruit is being shipped into Florida ports as it is the shortest ride from shipping point.
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Citrus
Navel demand has been steady the past few weeks. Pricing has also been steady as the weather has been nice. Supplies on small sizes have started to become less limited but are expected to get increasingly tighter as time goes on. Sizes are peaking on 56s/72s/88s. Exporting has been strong, and fruit is leaning strongly to fancy over choice. USDA programs have been strong as well. Quality has been excellent, with great color. Brix has been consistently over 11+ with many shippers over 12+.
Lemons
The lemon market is a bit softer than expected and supplies are keeping up with demand at this point. District 3 will most likely be finishing in the next month or so, which is earlier than normal. We also currently have plenty of lemons coming out of District 1. Exporting has been strong, and quality has been excellent out of both districts. Expect the market on lemons to continue rising in the coming weeks, especially large sizes. Deals can be found on small sizes.
Mandarins
Mandarins have also gone up a bit in price, but still where the deal is right now. Pricing is not as aggressive as it was, but there are still good deals on small sizes. Quality and brix have been strong and will only improve as the season goes on.
Grapefruit
Texas grapefruit has ended abruptly due to the storm that came through a few weeks ago. Temps were below freezing for long enough that fruit left on the trees has been damaged and will be used for juicing. Shift in market quickly went from Texas grapefruit to California grapefruit. Shippers quickly transitioned in California and began harvesting. Demand still exceeds supply. The market this week is attempting to find a place to settle. Quality is excellent. Florida and Mexican grapefruit will also become a bigger player than normal.
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Grapes
The imported grape market remained strong through the month of February, with limited volume of fruit in inventory on both coasts into the final week of the month. Continued vessel and container delays have limited availability across all importers, with many already holding back inventory for early March when the industry will finally begin to feel the effects of the late-January rain that impacted multiple growing regions in Chile. We expect green seedless varieties to be impacted significantly more than red seedless from this weather event, which will result in very limited green seedless options through much of the remaining months of the import season. Looking at current varieties being shipped, a wide range of red seedless options (Allison/Sweet Celebration/Flame/Crimson) are still being sold across multiple price points, with a handful of green seedless varieties (Sugraones/Thompson/Sweet Globe/Arra 15) also still available.
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Honeydew
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Pineapple
Pineapple (Offshore)
Gustavo.Lora@robinsonfresh.com
An increase of the trade winds over Costa Rica will be expected for this week. Higher temperatures and significant rainfall over the Caribbean and the Northern regions are also within the forecast while a decrease in rainfall in the Central Pacific, and South Pacific will become more typical of the dry season. Quality, internal condition and brix levels have all been reported as good, but a change of age has been reported at some farms. The USDA crossing report for week 07 is similar to last week with over 1,000 inbound containers for the entire continental USA from Costa Rica. The USDA is reporting demand as light and a slightly lower market. Demand for pines is reported as light with plenty of surplus fruit at most shipping points. The market continues to fall due, in part, to good Costa Rica supply; compounded again by a reduction in demand due to weather conditions affecting most of the USA but particularly the events that affected the Gulf states last week. The expectation is that weather will continue to improve and, as we get closer to the early Easter promotions, the market will regain some strength. Mexican supply remains good with plenty of surplus fruit available currently.
Pineapple (Mexican)
Jiovani.Guevara@robinsonfresh.com
Main growing regions in Mexico are Veracruz, Tabasco, and Colima, and most fruit crosses through border entries in Texas and Arizona. We have seen slow demand in the last two weeks, and we expect inventory levels to increase as we see new arrivals from Mexico and Costa Rica. Supplies from both Mexico and Costa Rica are up, and higher supplies are expected in March. Markets are expected to remain stable. March will be a great time to promote pineapples while supplies and quality will be at their highest. Quality of our fruit from Mexico is very good, with brix over 13%. Most shippers have all sizes available in the market. Please contact your Robinson Fresh sales representative with any questions.
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Strawberries
Weaker markets at the beginning of the week may firm up toward the back half of the week as Florida harvest volumes taper off. Mexico volumes may also decrease due to less-than-favorable markets for their growers. Please have your customers start placing Easter ads, as this time period will have limited volumes available. Oxnard, California is forecast for mostly sunny skies with highs in the 60s and lows in the 40s. Central Mexico is forecast for mostly sunny skies and very warm temps with highs in the 90s and lows in the 40s. Plant City, Florida is forecast for thunderstorms on Wednesday, becoming sunny and pleasant on Thursday and Friday, and then thunderstorms possible for the weekend. Highs are forecast in the 70s and lows in the 50s. Oxnard, California fruit has good color, occasional white shoulders, soft shoulders, pack bruising, seedy tips, and discoloration and scarring from the wind. Average counts are 20 to 22, occasionally higher and lower.
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Watermelon
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Organic Fruits & Vegetables
Organic Apples
We have good availability on all varieties of organic apples including organic Galas, Granny, Fuji, Pink Lady, and Honeycrisp. The tightest items are the organic Granny Smiths and the organic Honeycrisp. The crop is up over last season but only due to more orchards being converted over from conventional to organic this season. The crop was projected to be up much more before the weather issues that resulted in some crop loss. Demand is strong this year and this is keeping prices higher. The conventional market is so high this year that I expect that many organics will be also be sold as conventional. Expect demand to continue to be strong and prices to remain higher for the foreseeable future.
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Organic Dry Vegetables
Mexico (through Nogales, Arizona, and McAllen, Texas), Southern California, and Florida are the main shipping points for organic dry vegetables currently. Production is steady out of Mexican and the southern U.S. growing regions of California and Florida. Demand and availability continue to be steady this week. Winter squash (butternut/spaghetti/kabocha/acorn) and soft squash (yellow and zucchini) are available in good volumes this week, as well as green beans, mini-sweet peppers, hot peppers, green bells, and 11# colored bells. Eggplant and cucumbers are available in limited volumes as well. Lots of promotional opportunities on most organic dry vegetables for the rest of March as we enter the peak of the season!
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Organic Melons
Organic minis will gap until spring. They are expected to begin out of Hermosillo, Mexico mid-spring.
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Organic Onions
Organic red onions out of Hollister, California at Tobias Farms are still looking good. We still have good supply and we are looking to promote over the next couple of weeks. We are peaking on jumbos but do have some mediums available that can be packed in 16/3-pound bags or 40-pound cartons.
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Organic Pears
We still have good availability on domestically grown organic Anjou pears, but the organic domestic Bartlett pears have finished for the season. Imported organic Bartlett pears are beginning to arrive now into the ports on both coasts. There will continue to be availability on organic Anjou out of Washington for the next couple of months, and then they will be replaced by imports that will give us supply into spring and early summer.
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Organic Potatoes
Center, Colorado is the place to get your deals on organic potatoes. We are looking to promote russets, reds, and yellows. Pricing is lower than it has been for a few years so it’s a good time to promote. Quality is very nice and holding well. We also have a very good supply of fingerling potatoes available out of Center, but we also have inventory at our warehouse in San Bernardino, California.
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Organic Squash
Our season in Hollister, California has come to a finish. We had a very good year and look forward to next season. Winter squash is still going strong out of Mexico and supply is good.
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Organic Sweet Potatoes
Organic sweet potatoes are still going strong and quality has been outstanding! We have supply on all sizes and varieties at this point in the season. We have 3-pound bags, mediums, jumbos, and US#1s available in all varieties. Give us a call and we can take care of you.
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Transportation
• North America: Continued capacity crunch due to a series of nationwide weather events creating increased demand and supply constraints. Be prepared and communicate priorities with your providers early and often. C.H. Robinson is prepared to deliver during these challenging times. There will be a warming across North America this week which should ease the recent capacity struggles in heavily impacted markets and ease the constraint over the next few days.
• California: Volatility remains the constant with demand and supply tight. High import volumes and pricing attract reefers to run dry import loads.
• Midwest and Northeast: Demand continues strong against stagnant supply & Nor’ Easter weather.
Trends
54% of shoppers purchased fresh produce online for the first time since the start of COVID-19. Get more insights from our recent Top Ten Online Purchasing Trends for the Food Retail Season at RobinsonFresh.com.
Fresh from the kitchen
ARUGULA WITH CITRUS, BEET & AVOCADO
Ingredients
- 1 small bunch beets (1 pound), trimmed
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Tropicana® Fresh orange juice
- 2 Tropicana® Fresh navel orangs, peeled and pith removed
- 2 avocados, peeled and sliced
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
Preparation
- Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Wrap beets tightly in foil and roast until tender, about 1 hour. Once cool, remove skin and slice.
- For dressing, whisk vinegar, orange juice, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Arrange arugula, orange segments, avocado slices, onion slices, and tomato halves on 4 to 6 individual plates.
- Drizzle dressing over salad and serve immediately. Enjoy with your favorite crusty bread.
For more on this recipe, CLICK HERE.