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November 2020 Fresh Produce Distribution Recap

Produce Alerts /

According to National Produce Consultants, transition issues were the main story for fresh produce distribution in the month of November. As vegetables moved from California to Arizona, transition affected the supply for many wet vegetable items. In total, 14 fresh produce items were on alert throughout the month, with a peak of 11 items in a single week. 

Romaine, iceberg, strawberries, asparagus, mushrooms, and green leaf were the items that were on alert the whole of November. 

All three lettuce items continued to recover from the past heatwaves and the transition to Arizona put even more pressure on them. Strawberries were also playing catch up with supply and are looking to bounce back from quality issues caused by the heatwaves. Mushroom supply continued to be short as we entered the holiday season where demand for mushrooms is at a high. Along with high demand, there continued to be a shortage in crimini and portobello mushrooms. Asparagus experienced a supply gap as harvest from Mexico was producing low yield numbers due to cold weather.

Cold weather from Mexico was also affecting the production of both tomatoes and summer squash. Additionally, both fresh produce items were also suffering from rain conditions in Georgia and Florida. Corn also saw problems in its production due to rain in those same states. While Hurricane Eta affected the supply of green beans ever since it hit multiple growing regions. 

Other fresh produce items affected heavily by their transition from California to Arizona were cauliflower, broccoli, and parsley. 

Finally, oranges recovered from the supply gap caused primarily by the USDA Food Box Program. As domestic season is in full swing, supply for oranges should continue to improve.

Fresh Produce Watch

Items Affected By Transition

Romaine Lettuce – Iceberg Lettuce – Green Leaf Lettuce – Cauliflower – Broccoli – Parsley 

Items Affected By Weather

Asparagus – Corn – Tomatoes – Green Beans – Summer Squash

Other Issues

Strawberries (Heat & Fires) – Mushrooms (Demand) – Oranges (Supply Gap)

To view the full reports click here.

What to Expect At Your Local Fresh Produce in December

As transitions continue to take place for the next couple of weeks, expect supply shortages from wet vegetables. This should continue until new crops get into full swing by the first couple of weeks of December. 

Although lettuce items might benefit from this new transition to Arizonathey’ve suffered greatly from fires and heatwaves during the past couple of months in California. 

On the other hand, warmer temperatures might be welcomed in Mexico after cooler temperatures have affected production for several fresh produce items. Improved weather conditions in Mexico should give some relief to summer squash, tomatoes, and asparagus. 

Improved weather conditions in east coast states such as Georgia and Florida will also benefit production for tomatoes, summer squash, and corn. 

Production for green beans has been hit by a couple of hurricanes this season, severely affecting their production. Depending how well they recover will determine how their production continues.

Mushrooms continue to expect a rough holiday season as demand continues to grow but crimini and portobello shortages remain. 

Finally, oranges have turned the corner in their supply gap. As domestic season is in full swing, oranges start to catch up on the demand gap imposed by the USDA Food Box Program and a rough transition period from import to domestic harvest.

Peddler’s Son Is Here For You

As a family-owned wholesale produce distributor since 1988, Peddler’s Son is here to help your business grow. We provide exceptional customer service through transparency and integrity and continue to build valuable relationships by supplying Arizona customers with the best quality products. Contact us today to learn more about becoming a customer.

November 2020 Fresh Produce Distribution Recap Read More »

fresh produce

October 2020 Fresh Produce Distribution Recap

Produce Alerts, News /

October was a rough month in the fresh produce industry according to National Produce Consultants. Throughout the month, fresh produce items on alert were in the double digits. During its peak, 17 items were on alert, but that number slowly decreased as the weeks went by. The main cause for this increase in fresh produce alerts was the combination of heatwaves and fires in California. While on the East Coast they suffered from rains and winds attributed to Hurricane Sally at the beginning of the month and Hurricane Delta in the middle of October. Additionally, the USDA Box Food program put several items under pressure as distributors continue to fulfill orders nationwide.

All of this caused quality issues resulting in tip burn, discoloration, and misshapen fresh produce items among other things caused by less than favorable weather. Shorter shelf life has also been a factor due to heatwaves and fires. Working hours continued to be limited as farmers continue to protect their staff from harmful working conditions. Supply gaps proceeded to rise as adverse weather conditions resulted in lower yields and Box Food programs were impacting the open market. Because of all this, loading times took longer than usual as distributors tried to complete all orders.

Fresh Produce Watch

Affected By Heat and Fires

Cauliflower – Cantaloupe – Honeydew – Green Leaf – Strawberries – Romaine – Iceberg – Onions – Broccoli

Affected By Weather

Corn – Eggplant – Bell Peppers – Squash – Cucumber – Pineapple – Tomatoes

Other Issues

Mushrooms (Demand) – Asparagus (Supply Gap) – Green Beans (Hurricanes) – Oranges (USDA Food Box)

For full reports click here.

What to Expect at Your Local Fresh Produce in November

As it’s been said for the past couple of months, gaining control of the wildfires in California will have a big impact on food distribution. With better weather in the forecast quality issues should be reduced in the West. 

The aftermath of Hurricane Delta has impacted the production of corn, but as Georgia recovers productions will slowly start to pick up too. Additionally, corn will see some relief as parts in the West start to increase some of their production.

Another item affected by Hurricane Delta has been green beans, and while production starts to slowly pick back up it is not enough to keep up. Expect limited supply until Florida can help out with green beans production.

Speaking of Florida, they should be able to help out in the production of bell peppers as Georgia slowly recovers. Mexico will also provide a helping hand with both bell peppers and asparagus as the latter has seen a shortage in supply from both the West and East Coasts.

All lettuce will continue to be limited until full transition happens in the coming weeks of November. While oranges will finally start to see some relief as the transition from import to domestic comes to a close. 

Finally, as we enter the winter months mushrooms will begin to see an increase in demand. But due to the fact that Crimini and Portabella mushrooms are seeing a shortage, coupled with labor issues due to COVID-19, mushrooms might face supply challenges in the coming months.

Peddler’s Son Is Here For You

As a family-owned wholesale produce distributor since 1988, Peddler’s Son is here to help your business grow. We provide exceptional customer service through transparency and integrity and continue to build valuable relationships by supplying Arizona customers with the best quality products. Contact us today to learn more about becoming a customer.

October 2020 Fresh Produce Distribution Recap Read More »

COVID-19 Impacts

Negative COVID-19 Impacts on the Food Supply Chain

Produce Alerts, News /

Industry Report

Early in 2020, consumer spending on produce supply had increased steadily within the United States, growing 4% over the previous 5 years. Then in March, COVID-19 impacts have developed and hit the food supply chain dramatically reversing the consumer spending on food. Forgoing dining out due to the closures of restaurant establishments and social distancing requirements, consumers stocked up on grocery food and supplies. As restaurants, coffee, shops, and casual dining locations were hit hard, sales also declined rapidly by 27%.

Ripple effects have spread across the entire food distribution industry due to COVID-19 impacts. Distribution channels have been upended creating food-security risks for vulnerable populations. Food suppliers and distributors, like Peddler’s Son, have faced abrupt challenges due to order cancellations and production setbacks. Perishable materials have been waiting in the lurch to be ordered and consumed. Managers who have gained a clearer understanding of these effects have been establishing solutions to better prepare them for the challenging outcomes. Turning this around will depend on the weather, or how quickly, we can expect a return to pre-pandemic conditions. 

Farmers

Farm operations that depend highly on labor production (crops of strawberries or lettuce for example) will continue to see pressing pandemic related challenges. The availability of workers has decreased, and this is likely to continue over the course of the next few months. If pandemic conditions persist, finding skilled workers will be difficult as many will not want to risk being in close quarters for fear of spreading the disease further. As farmers may be reeling with having to reduce, or even dispose of their crops significantly, these COVID-19 impacts may lead to overall product shortages increasing prices for the end consumer.

Food Distributors

As highly sought after food production is top of mind, distributors will be hit hardest if they cannot maintain margins through this pandemic. Distributors run an optimized and stable supply chain, with upstream orders coming in that anticipate downstream orders going out. Margins depend on there being a steady flow in both directions and having only a subset of products in inventory awaiting orders.

With orders rapidly shutting down due to COVID-19 impacts and government-mandated shutdowns, distributors were left holding the bag. Bottlenecks were created as space shortages were apparent in addition to staying on top of canceled inbound orders. Distributors have been significantly affected through casual-dining customers shutting down, but many have adapted through redirecting sales additions and modifying current supply chains. Many will have to rebalance their supplies with outgoing orders creating a much costlier “cold chain” rescaling facilities and personnel. 

The Future of Food-Supply in the Face of COVID-19 Impacts

Food-service companies will need to pursue creative solutions, such as continuous delivery and pickup services, in order to hit break-even volumes when there is limited seating in restaurants. Profit margins will likely be affected at each step during rebalancing.

In the long term, these COVID-19 impacts of the supply chain will most likely take on many different shapes and sizes. How owners handle these challenges to evolve and resolve will depend on adaptivity and resilience. Executives of Mckinsey and Company have brought to light a few potential scenarios, of which 2 are rising to the top. Some combination of effective or relatively effective public-health and economic-policy interventions will either contain the virus or limit it to some minor recurrences, resulting in a slow recovery. 

Become a Customer

Peddler’s Son is ready to work with you to grow your business. We are food driven and customer-focused. If you are looking for excellent customer service and wholesale food service delivery with solutions, contact us today to learn more about becoming a customer.

Negative COVID-19 Impacts on the Food Supply Chain Read More »

fresh produce

September 2020 Fresh Produce Distribution Recap

Produce Alerts, News /

The wildfires in California continued to be the main cause for concern in September’s fresh produce distribution. While the number of produce items on high alert in the first half of the month did not go past four, that number more than doubled by the end of the month. Reports by National Produce Consultants showed that nine different produce items were on high alert by the end of the month as a result of fires and heat-waves. These bad weather conditions created significant issues as growers continued to protect their staff with limited labor and harvesting hours. 

Apart from heat and wildfires, the USDA Food Box Program affected several produce items in the open market with oranges and onions being primarily affected. Problems in the east arose after Hurricane Sally affected production in Georgia for both corn and cucumbers. Finally, romaine, pineapples, and strawberries were the produce items on alert throughout the month due to quality and weather issues. 

Fresh Produce Watch

Affected By Weather

Pineapples – Strawberries – Broccoli – Eggplant – Iceberg

Affected By Hurricane Sally

Cucumber – Corn

Other Issues

Chinese Garlic (Import Issues) – Romaine (Quality) – Oranges (USDA Food Box) – Onions (USDA Food Box)

For the full reports, click here.

What to Expect at Your Local Fresh Produce in October

October might be a tricky month for fresh produce and food distribution considering how September ended. With the month ending with a high of nine produce items on alert, orders should be placed well in advance to give suppliers enough time. Loading times and hours in labor will continue to impact the food industry for the next couple of weeks.

Watch out for oranges as there might be a supply shortage for a couple of weeks in the middle of October. Domestic Navels are not arriving until late October and Valencia oranges are only lasting until the beginning of the month. 

Quality issues with romaine are expected to continue, as well as with iceberg and broccoli. Production in Georgia will continue to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Sally, affecting the corn and cucumber market.

Pineapples supply will continue to be low as heat and rain impact the quality causing misshapen crowns. Finally, prices for both strawberries and tomatoes are expected to be on the rise due to quality and supply.

Peddler’s Son Is Here For You

As a family-owned fresh produce distributor since 1988, Peddler’s Son is here to help your business grow. We provide exceptional customer service through transparency and integrity and continue to build valuable relationships by supplying Arizona customers with the best quality products. Contact us today to learn more about becoming a customer.

September 2020 Fresh Produce Distribution Recap Read More »

fresh produce

August 2020 Fresh Produce Distribution Recap

Produce Alerts, News /

According to weekly reports by National Produce Consultants, August fresh produce distribution was good overall, at least during the first half of the month. Fresh produce item alerts never went past six in a single week and good quality was reported among the rest. Things changed for the second half of August though, with California suffering from extreme heatwaves and the East Coast dealing with the repercussions of Hurricane Isaias. 

Potatoes began their transition to northern states, which heavily impacted quality and supply all month. Low yields on mixed berries continued throughout the month due to California being the primary producer and Mexico’s supply did not start until the last week of August. The biggest issue was of course the California wildfires, adding to the heatwaves the state was experiencing, the wildfires negatively influenced half a dozen fresh produce items. 

Fresh Produce Watch

Affected By CA Wildfires

Broccoli – Brussel Sprouts – Cauliflower – Celery – Iceberg

Affected By Hurricane Isaias

Cucumber – Tomatoes – Summer Squash

Other Issues

Romaine Lettuce (Quality) – Potatoes (Transition) – Limes (Weather) – Chinese Garlic (Import Issues) – Strawberries (Low Yields) – Corn (Weather) – Mixed Berries (Low Yields)

For the full reports, click here.

What to Expect at Your Local Fresh Produce in September

Containing the wildfires in California will be crucial in trying to minimize the impact on not only the food distribution chain but also on the overall environment of the state and preserving its nature. COVID-19 continues to be a major issue in the fresh produce industry as food distribution will have to continue to adjust and adapt now that schools, universities, and restaurants are continuing to reopen across the country. 

Mexico’s helping hand will come a long way in the production of mixed berries as California handles heatwaves and wildfires affecting its production on their end. Finally, new crops for potatoes will be in full swing in the coming weeks helping the low quality of the limited crop available at the moment.

Peddler’s Son Wholesale Food Delivery

As a family-owned wholesale produce distributor since 1988, Peddler’s Son is here to help your business grow. We provide exceptional customer service through transparency and integrity and continue to build valuable relationships by supplying Arizona customers with the best quality products. Contact us today to learn more about becoming a customer.

August 2020 Fresh Produce Distribution Recap Read More »

fresh produce

July 2020 Fresh Produce Distribution Recap

Produce Alerts, News /

Here is your July fresh produce distribution recap. Weekly reports by National Produce Consultants showed two different stories for the month of July. Over 10 commodity items were on high alert during the first three weeks, peaking at 14 items in a single week. But by the end of the month, only six fresh produce items were on watch alert. 

Strawberries, Chinese garlic, and romaine lettuce were the three commodities on high alert all month long due to weather & labor issues, import problems due to COVID-19, and quality issues respectively. Additionally, transition issues affected several fresh produce items including oranges, green beans, bell peppers, potatoes, and asparagus. Overall as summer hits its stride, fresh produce began to be affected but by the end of the month, July produce distribution leveled out showing good quality and supply.

Fresh Produce Watch

Affected By Weather

Strawberries – Brussels Sprouts – Cantaloupe – Honeydew – Corn – Cilantro – Cauliflower – Broccoli

Affected By Transition

Oranges – Green Beans – Bell Peppers – Potatoes – Asparagus

Other Issues

Chinese Garlic (Import) – Romaine Lettuce (Quality) – Celery (Supply Gap) – Mixed Berries (Low Yields)

For the full reports, click here.

What to Expect at Your Local Fresh Produce in August

The transition of potatoes back to the northern states might be an issue throughout the month of August. Both bad quality and supply will be the result given the new crop won’t be taking place for another few weeks. 

Mixed berries will be another item to watch as Mexico’s supply will not be picking back up until mid to late August. This will leave California as the only supplier for mixed berries for the next couple of weeks. 

Supply for both strawberries and romaine lettuce is expected to not improve and Chinese garlic will still face import issues as long as COVID-19 remains. 

Speaking of COVID-19, the food distribution will have to continue to adjust to demand as schools and universities begin to open. This can quickly change if cases surge as is the case with restaurants reopening and closing across the country. 

Peddler’s Son Is Here For You

As a family-owned wholesale produce distributor since 1988, Peddler’s Son is here to help your business grow. We provide exceptional customer service through transparency and integrity and continue to build valuable relationships by supplying Arizona customers with the best quality products. Contact us today to learn more about becoming a customer.

July 2020 Fresh Produce Distribution Recap Read More »

July Produce

What To Expect in July 2020 for Produce

Produce Alerts, News /

Produce production this July 2020 has been fluctuating due to the COVID-19 impacts. Below are the reports for a few of the market updates based on Alerts and Good productions. Source Produce Alliance.

July Produce Alerts

Asparagus

Volumes on asparagus are currently limited, but markets have come down slightly from last month’s spike. The U.S. crop out of Michigan is hampered by labor issues at packhouses due to COVID-19. 

Brussel Sprouts

Brussels Sprout supplies will be short this month; however, growers are expecting better supplies the following month. Growers are reporting quality to be good to excellent and there is a good demand for Brussels Sprouts at this time.

Cantaloupe

The domestic season has begun with a major obstacle. Growers have battled very low yields due to early rains in the growing cycle and are currently challenged with a labor shortage, leaving some fields unharvested. The labor shortage could potentially become an on-going issue throughout the domestic deal.

Celery

Celery supplies will be short for this month. The current harvest is going through a small supply gap. Good to fair quality has been reported by multiple growers at this time. Additionally, there has been a higher demand for Celery this month.

Cilantro

Supplies continue to be light with Cilantro for this month. Growers are expecting better supplies next month. Good quality has been reported by multiple growers and there is a good demand for Cilantro this month.

Corn

Similarly to last month, growers out of the East and West are reporting extremely tight supplies on corn. Production out of the West Coast isn’t sufficient to cover demands. Price is not a factor right now. The problem is that growers can’t fill orders. Please give shippers extra order loading lead times so that they can work to secure products to fill your orders and expect order cuts going forward. 

Chinese Garlic

Chinese garlic is on alert due to Coronavirus affecting labor and also ports allowing

product out of China. We anticipate this to remain and also continue to add pressure on garlic prices until the virus is contained. The overall outlook continues to look worse as more and more time passes and imported products are cut short. 

Green Beans

Green beans are on high alert. Heavy rain in Georgia and the Midwest has affected the green bean crop causing delays in harvesting. The colder weather has also pushed back the start date for harvesting out of the Midwest. This is causing a gap during a transition period resulting in low availability of green beans. Product quality could also take a hit. This is expected to last for a few more weeks.

Honeydew

The domestic season has begun with a major obstacle. Sizing has leaned towards larger size leaving 6/8 ct dews very limited. Growers have battled very low yields due to early rains in the growing cycle and are currently challenged with a labor shortage leaving some fields unharvested. The labor shortage could potentially become an ongoing issue throughout the domestic deal.

Romaine Lettuce

Romaine supplies continue to be very short this month. Growers are hoping to see an improvement with supplies next month. Growers are experiencing lighter yields at the time of harvest due to quality. Some fringe burn and internal quality issues due to the warmer weather in Salinas, California.

Oranges

We have seen some pressure on price over the past three weeks and are beginning to see certain sizes more limited and increase in price. Market alert on oranges as pricing has been escalated. Valencia’s have begun and will continue throughout the summer period. Navels will stay available throughout the summer but trend on the larger size until volumes return in MId October.

Green Peppers 

Green Pepper pricing worked its way up last month and continued working up this month. Production is in transition to different growing areas right now. This is putting pressure on supplies and costs.

Yellow and Red Peppers

Elevated pricing on Color Peppers due to tighter than normal supplies this month. Production is in transition to different growing areas right now. This is putting pressure on supplies and costs.

Strawberries

There has been a big turn in the outlook for the summer months with Strawberries. Production numbers are limited due to weather in growing regions back in May. In addition, there are still some spotty labor issues and also some fields on their last legs providing processor quality berries at best. 

Become a Customer

Peddler’s Son is ready to work with you to grow your business. We are food-driven, customer-focused. If you are looking for excellent customer service and wholesale food service delivery with solutions, contact us today to learn more about becoming a customer.

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