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Wednesday, December 23, 2020
NORTH AMERICA

Our team

Marieke Hemmes
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Annika Durinck
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Astrid van den Broek
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Sander Bruins Slot
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Job Offers

Chief Executive Officer

Greenhouse grower / production manager

Assistant Professor of Protected Agricultural Systems Design (Tenure-Track) - USA

Grower Tomato Crops - Huron (Ohio) USA

(Junior) Grower - King George (VA) USA

Commercial Manager | Fresh Produce | Germany

Technical Manager - Fresno or Bakersfield (CA) USA

Retail Account Manager Italië

Grower / Head Grower Canada

Maintenance Engineer (CA, USA)

Alonso Salcedo of Añawi:

“We hope to increase our exports of organic ginger to the US by 40-50% next year”

The demand for Peruvian organic ginger in the US market has been on the rise in recent years, and while the reduction of foodservice during the pandemic has dampened overall…

Increased demand for chestnuts this holiday season as consumers cook more at home

This year’s chestnut season has been a very good one, according to Michael Maxwell at Procacci Brothers. The company begins importing chestnuts in October and the season wraps…

Apple grower launches line-extending products in 2021

Okanagan Specialty Fruits® (OSF), the developer and grower behind the Arctic® apple, has launched its new, individually sized 2 oz. package. OSF also has a new cut available…

California's 2021 strawberry season kicks off in Oxnard

The California 2021 strawberry season has already kicked off in Oxnard for Bobalu Berries. “This timing is typical for the Bobalu strawberries in Oxnard, with the harvest…

Dan Duda retires from family-owned company after 40 years

Dan Duda, CEO and former president of Duda Farm Fresh Foods, will retire from the six-generation family-owned company effective December 31, 2020 after 40…

CDC and FDA declare third E. coli outbreak over

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced yesterday that the third outbreak of…

Chiquita donates disaster relief supplies

Following recent natural disasters including Hurricanes Eta and Iota, Chiquita is supporting Central Americans by providing resources such as food, medical supplies, monetary…

Organic grower unveils newly renovated greenhouses in Mexico

Wholesum, Fairtrade-certified grower and shipper of organic produce, inaugurated its newly renovated tomato greenhouses at Wholesum Farms Pacific. A ribbon cutting ceremony…

Bruce Huffaker:

"The potato industry might be able to recover by 2022, but not yet in 2021"

Exactly a year ago, potatoes were seeing tight supplies and solid demand and it was expected that pricing would be strong in 2020. Then came Covid-19. Bruce Huffaker,…

Special Year Overview

Year overview 2020: November

Berries--specifically blueberries--continued to make headlines in November. Peru reported that its blueberry volumes were up and that demand for the fruit has been steady to…

Global Focus Exotic/Tropical Fruit

Mango consumption pushes up in 2020

Mangoes have seen a strong year in consumer demand. “We don’t have all of the numbers yet, but we have seen an increase in per capita consumption,” says Manuel Michel with the…

Retail

US: Online grocery delivery companies recruit extra staff to cope with spike in demand

FDA warns Amazon's Whole Foods Market for misbranding food productsThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Tuesday it has issued a warning letter to Amazon.com…

Reflects on priority areas for association activities to aid Southern Hemisphere exporters in 2021

SHAFFE closes 2020 with virtual Northern America meeting

SHAFFE has closed the 2020 association year with its now virtual North America meeting. Gathering SHAFFE’s members from across the Southern Hemisphere, the…

Via the Fruit & Vegetable Prescription Program

Prescription written out for fruits and vegetables in several Northern Michigan communities

Residents of Crawford, Missaukee, Manistee and Wexford Counties can now receive a prescription for free fruits and vegetables, as well as access to free…

Unmanned aerial vehicles revolutionise scouting in citrus production

Traditionally, sensing technologies in citrus production, where growers are looking for pests and diseases and are field phenotyping, rely on manual sampling.…

Scully Packing company - Finley

Effects of the pandemic on Californian pear growing and packing season

The Scully Packing company -based in Finley, California- did not really have a normal pear packing season this year. While they had to find ways to deal with…

National Potato Council commends $900-billion Congress Covid relief package

A $900 billion pandemic relief package, approved by Congress on Monday night, contains several provisions that should significantly help US farmers, said…

No Christmas euphoria for clementines and oranges this year

"The atmosphere is usually joyful as Christmas approaches and demand increases. This year, however, there has not been the much awaited increase in orders. The foreign markets…

Jeroen Groenewegen, Yex, the Netherlands

"This Christmas, using exotic fruit and vegetables for indoor barbecuing is becoming a real hit"

You can bring the most unusual exotic fruits to market but, if people aren't familiar with them, they won't sell. After all, unknown means unloved. "That's why, every day, we…

Premium Dutch strawberry ready for Christmas

This year, Dutch Berries built a four-hectare full LED-lit greenhouse. This allows this major Dutch strawberry farming to bring large volumes of a brand new crop to market…

Tygho Kampschöer, Fruvexco

"Ginger's quality varies greatly on European market"

Tygho Kampschöer of Fruvexco, in the Netherlands, says sales are going quite well. That's despite the lack of sales to the hospitality sector. "All the channels where people…

France re-open border but drivers must have negative test results

France has lifted the ban on people entering from the UK, at the moment it is only for French nationals or people with French residency and hauliers. The Netherlands and…

Jacqueline Monden, De Kruidenaer, the Netherlands

"Cautious non-European herb farming could lead to shortages"

In Europe, the closure of the hospitality sector has greatly affected fresh herb sales. This is evident to Jacqueline Monden. She and Christ Monden run De Kruidenaer herb farm…

Fresh wasabi, grown in England

As an exotics specialist, Bud Holland already boasts a wide assortment of unusual products. However, this Dutch company is always on the lookout for unique, new items to add…

Closed ecosystem in a designer cabinet

Agrilution brings herb gardens into the home with their "Plantcube"

It will always be spring in your kitchen. That is what the "Plantcube" from Agrilution promises; a fully automated greenhouse that enables vertical farming even on a small…

"Every year the demand improves so the pricing is strong"

Sales soaring for an Australian premium stone fruit brand across the world

Demand for one of Australia's leading stone fruit brands continues to grow rapidly each season, according to the company responsible for its marketing and management. QFM…

Mexico extradites a drug trafficker who smuggled cocaine into Europe in pineapple containers

The federal government of Mexico extradited Carlos Alberto Murillo Torres, a Mexican citizen, to Spain where he will be prosecuted for his alleged…

Mexico might have to import labor due to the growth of its agricultural production

According to Victor Villalobos Arambula, the head of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Sader), the implementation of the T-MEC Treaty between…

Chinese garlic export suffers from rising shipping cost

Rising shipping costs are one of the main concerns for importers and exporters in the international market. The worsening Covid-19 pandemic is already a disaster for importers…

Ties Minnen, Afrifruta:

"In Mozambique, you can't just quickly organize something; everything comes from afar"

"Demand is excellent and is only increasing," says AfriFruta's Ties Minnen about its naturally-dried mango and coconut. "These are healthy snacks. Dried coconut is very…

Keen interest in new ARRA varieties at recent field days in South Africa

Amid the uncertainty cast by Covid on the export table grape market, there was a strong turnout of growers and exporters at TopFruit’s recent annual field day in Augrabies…

Tim Struckman, Exotic Roots, the Netherlands

"Rising demand, especially from specialty stores"

At Exotic Roots, the demand for exotic fruits hasn't yet increased as Christmas approaches. However, Tim Struckman is still pleased. Tim owns this Dutch…

Chinese firm invests US$6 million in citrus venture

The China Industrial International Group (CIIG) is investing US$6 million towards the production of citrus seedlings; the organisation is hoping to sell the…

Rapid response to ToBRFV virus in New Zealand

In New Zealand, the early detection of an imported virus – the Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) – in a small seed lot has allowed steps to be taken to…

Tesco apologises for selling bags of British carrots labelled ‘Grown in Spain’

British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer Tesco has apologised for misleading customers after a bag of fresh carrots with the label "British" were…

FreshPlaza Funny

The warning was not heeded