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Friday, December 24, 2021
NORTH AMERICA

Our team

Marieke Hemmes
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Astrid van den Broek
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Sander Bruins Slot
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Job Offers

Key Account / Sales manager Fruit - DACH

Associate Director International Procurement: Produce - Berlin

International Procurement Manager - Berlin

Sales specialist Vertical Farming North America / Europe

Key Account Manager | Fresh Produce | Hamburg

International Business Developer Indoor Farming

Sales & Product Development Coordinator - Thornlands (QLD) Australia

Sales Person

Sales Representative - Winnipeg (MB) Canada

Berry Agronomist - Western Australia

We will be back January 3rd

Happy Holidays from the FreshPlaza team!

As another year comes to an end, the FreshPlaza/Fresh Publishers team would like to wish all of our readers very Happy Holidays and a prosperous New Year. We will be back…

Job Offers:

Key Account / Sales manager Fruit - DACH

Swift movement on lower organic apple crop

January could prove to be an interesting month for organic apples. “We’ve moved briskly on organic apples and generally January kicks off with healthy month eating where…

Demand likely to exceed supplies on mandarins in early 2022

Supplies of mandarins are anticipated to tighten up in the new year. At Trinity Fruit Sales in Fresno, CA, Levon Ganajian says that depending on the variety, mandarin…

Celebrating the holidays with food in a different way

It looks like Babé Farms just can’t get enough of its veggie wreaths this time of year. For Christmas, Babé Farms has created this beautiful wreath (above) from red and white radishes.…

USDA U.S. Mexico Canada agreement seasonal perishable products weekly update

Movement of Chilean imports of blueberries via boat through both East and West Coast expected to increase

Produce shipments for the holidays wrapped up for the most part by the beginning of the week, with later arrivals not expected to be in place for shoppers until after the…

Port of Long Beach eligible for US$52.3 million for rail expansion project

The Port of Long Beach has been awarded a US$52.3 million grant from the US Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD) to help fund the…

Supply problems create French fry shortage for some US restaurants

French fries, an essential menu item for burger restaurants, are at risk of becoming the latest victim of a strained food supply chain. So far, the fry issues…

Del Monte launches fruit-scented wrapping paper

Fresh Del Monte, well-known for its fruits and vegetables, is offering scented wrapping paper for a limited time. The wrapping paper is available in two fruity scents: banana…

US almond update: Industry shows optimism heading into 2022

Despite several challenges related to Covid and logistical complications, US almond growers seem to have pulled through. Overall, the almond industry has had a…

Santa Claus Melons: festive name, great taste

Melons are usually in season in the summer. However, there's a certain melon that remains in season until December, and it's fittingly called ‘the Santa Claus…

Special Year Overview

Year Overview - December

After a couple of year's absence the New York Produce Show was back in December New York Produce Show with a better turnout than expected. The Shanghai International Fruit…

Global Focus Exotic/Tropical Fruit

Abdel Jalil Rakkaz from newly established IRIS Markt Ltd

"We offer a choice between Moroccan Hass and Fuerte avocados"

Direct imports from Southern Europe and North Africa form the core competence of recently founded company IRIS Ltd, based in Viersen. The products are imported from various…

Retail

Dreamstime

Ecommerce will account for over 20% of U.S. grocery sales by 2025

US Foods will donate $30,000 to Feeding America

Amazon workers stage pre-Christmas walkout at 2 Chicago-area delivery facilitiesDozens of Amazon warehouse employees staged a walkout at 2 Chicago-area delivery stations to…

Worldwide banana exports increased by 1.7% in 2020 boosted by Ecuadorian, Costa Rican, and Colombian exports

According to the FAO / OECD Agricultural Outlook 2021-2030 report, the first estimates are that the world's banana exports, excluding plantain (pink banana or…

Arkansas fruit growers rally after problematic start to 2021

After floods in 2019 and unseasonably warm winter temperatures in 2020, Arkansas fruit growers faced a different extreme at the start of 2021: back-to-back…

Argentinian Blueberry Committee

Weekly Argentinean blueberry arrivals

Total weekly blueberry arrivals for week 50 at 272 tons

Total weekly blueberry arrivals for week 50 came in at 272 tons. The accumulated shipments stood at 8.203 tons for the year up to that week. No shipments went to the UK that…

Jolene Lombard – La Rhone

After years of carbon tracking, Cape stonefruit farm starts getting the full picture

La Rhone is a family-owned stonefruit farm close to the town of Tulbagh, growing plums, peaches, nectarines and prunes on 115ha, all for export through United Exports, Icon…

African growers concerned about EU stance on pesticide residues

The European Union’s hardline stance on import tolerances for pesticide substances can cause a lot of headaches for African food producers. The EU has…

USDA

South Africa: Citrus Annual

An estimated total of 98,700 ha was planted in South Africa in 2021

The production of citrus is forecast to continue its strong growth in Marketing Year (MY) 2021/22, based on the increase in area planted, new-plantings coming into full…

John Giles - Promar International

A year on post Brexit - what does it all mean?

"We all began 2021 thinking something along the lines of “well it can’t be any worse than 2020” - but as we come towards the end of what has been another volatile year, I am…

Embargo in Belarus will affect Polish exports in 2022

“Rising costs and inflation were very challenging for everyone”

It’s been a solid year for Polish apple exporter Appolonia, says export manager Jakub Krawczyk: “In 2021 our turnover was approximately 10% bigger than in 2020, and generally…

“There was a huge demand for Turkish cherries in the Chinese market”

2021 has been a challenging year for Turkish fresh produce. Climate change was an issue, but also the fact that Turkey was not able to re-establish the cherry export protocol…

European Commission

DG agri dashboard - Apples

Ongoing 2021/22 crop for EU27 has been estimated at 11,619 tons

The ongoing 2021/22 crop for EU27 has been estimated at 11,619 tons; this is 5% higher than the preceding five-year average and 10% above the 'small' crop of the past…

Morocco becomes leading foreign supplier of fruit and vegetables to Spanish market

Morocco has become the leading foreign supplier of fruit and vegetables to the Spanish market; the country’s exports stands at €608 million. It is an increase…

This Belgian museum is dedicated entirely to French fries

Being obsessed with food is not necessarily such a bad thing (let's face it, we'd all be pretty dead without it). While it's beneficial to have a healthy…

Adam Olins - BerryWorld Group

"Heading into 2022, sustainability remains integral to our business"

Despite the global challenges presented by COVID-19 in 2020, BerryWorld Group’s overall performance held strong, thanks to the business’ robust proprietary varietal offering,…

Collapse of Turkish lira will affect vegetable, fruit and nut markets in Eastern Europe and Central Asia

The sharp jumps in the exchange rate of the Turkish lira is one of the most important factors of recent weeks for the fruit and vegetable business in the…

New Zealanders might face Christmas strawberry shortage

Strawberry growers are warning New Zealanders of a shortage this Christmas. After parts of the North Island were hit with heavy rain, strong winds and high…

Stuart Payne - GP Graders

"We've caused quite a stir and are building a reputation for measurable success."

One of the highlights this year for machine company GP Graders has been the pilot of the Mutiview camera at a tomato grower in Bundaberg, Australia. "Bundaberg is definitely…

Pieter Minner - TOMRA Food.

Helping vegetable processors achieve food safety and product quality

Growers, processors and packers of fresh, fresh-cut, canned, frozen and dried vegetables face many challenges including: guaranteeing food safety, protecting brand…

Good weather creating some good quality pineapples out of North Queensland

A Queensland pineapple grower says the good weather during the growing period, has led to some nice sized fruit compared to previous years. Third generation growers Michael…

Michael Franks - Seeka

Seeka undertook a number of business acquisitions to grow the business by more than 30%

This year has been a big year for produce company Seeka, which is also New Zealand's largest kiwifruit grower. The Company has packed record kiwifruit volumes and undertaken a…

New mango campaign focuses on trust as Honey Gold growers take centre stage

Australian Honey Gold mango producer Piñata Farms has launched a major marketing campaign that asks consumers to "trust" the expertise of growers behind the brand. Billboards…

Aartsen continues to strengthen its diversification strategy for cherries within Asia

The cherry season is currently in full swing for Aartsen in Europe and Asia. "While we are already distributing cherries from Chile and Argentina since the end of October the…

“We present our customizable Angel Fresh fresh-keeping card that is suitable for the retail industry”

The consumers worldwide are developing higher standards for the product quality and product freshness of their fruit as their living standards improve. A growing number of…

USDA

China: Citrus Annual

MY2021/2022 orange production forecast to grow to 7.6 million tons

Fresh citrus production is expected to increase in MY2021/2022 across all categories: oranges, tangerines and mandarins, and grapefruit. Tangerine and mandarin production is…

Astra: Universal peeling methods for different types of citrus

“There is so much to say about Japanese local citrus varieties”

Japan is not a big citrus production region with regard to production quantity, but what many people do not know is that this country has many original, locally bred, citrus…

Dreamstime.com

Top 10 of the busiest container ports in Asia

The vast majority of the largest and busiest container ports in the world are located in Asia. The continent is a crucial part of the global supply chain, which has been…

Dubai Police

Dubai Police seize smuggled Captagon pills hidden in lemon shipment

Dubai Police have foiled an attempt to smuggle 1.1 million Captagon pills to the country. Four suspects were arrested. The men were residents in the UAE and the shipment’s…

China Customs Administration to assess Cambodian longans

Cambodian longans are now ready for a risk assessment from the Chinese General Administration of Customs, to take place in the first week of January. According…

Guinness World Record for a canoe made of ... mushrooms?

Katy Ayers and Ashley Gordon, two Americans from Grand Island, Nebraska, were awarded a Guinness World Record after they built the world's largest boat made of…

Dreamstime.com

Why people put oranges in stockings at Christmas

If oranges in stockings are a holiday tradition in your family, you might not have thought about where the practice came from. But even if you and your kin don’t tuck citrus…

FreshPlaza Funny

The art of presentation