Americas
What goes around, comes around
01 April 2007 12:07 | Permalink
Luisa Cheshire
Isn't it funny how things come full circle? The last CPMA convention held in Montreal marked one of my first forays into the North American produce industry – and a chilly experience it was too. But the bone-freezing February temperatures failed to dent my enthusiasm for a sector that I quickly learned is both fascinating and fast-moving – not to mention extremely welcoming.
It seems fitting, therefore, that just as Canada’s leading trade show returns to Quebec’s historic city for its 82nd convention, I should hang up my produce hat (temporarily at least) to pursue pastures new – namely motherhood.
A great deal has happened within the industry during my few years at Americafruit Magazine; the most salient of which seems to be the sector’s latest push towards securing food safety. This April alone some US$8m has been pledged for research into preventing the spread of food-borne pathogens (see p4-5 of the latest issue) in the wake of the tragic E.coli outbreak that swept across the US and Canada last autumn and winter.
Industry bodies, government agencies and private firms are clubbing together to protect the health of consumers, as well as their own future, by setting up research centres, studies and projects to stop similar occurrences from ever happening again. It’s not often an industry demonstrates such solidarity: a fitting reaction to a dreadful event.
The tide is also turning within the realms of US import law. Instead of barring items left, right and centre, the country has recently opened up to a flurry of new products – seemingly relaxing its protectionist stance. Within the last six months or so, the US has allowed Mexican avocados into all 50 states, granted access to New Zealand citrus (see p33), and agreed to let in fresh mangoes from India (see p5). Could the country be mellowing in its old age? Or is it simply capitulating to globalisation pressures and consumer demand for produce year-round?
Perhaps Mother Nature is another contributing factor? Climatic disasters and erratic weather patterns are making securing domestic supplies ever more unpredictable. But retailers have shelves to fill, so importers need to widen their sourcing net to meet demand.
It goes without saying that the next several years will see a great many more changes, driven to a large extent by developments in supply chain technology. I wish you luck keeping pace with them all, and to all of you, the very best for the future – whatever it may bring.
Isn't it funny how things come full circle? The last CPMA convention held in Montreal marked one of my first forays into the North American produce industry – and a chilly experience it was too. But the bone-freezing February temperatures failed to dent my enthusiasm for a sector that I quickly learned is both fascinating and fast-moving – not to mention extremely welcoming.
It seems fitting, therefore, that just as Canada’s leading trade show returns to Quebec’s historic city for its 82nd convention, I should hang up my produce hat (temporarily at least) to pursue pastures new – namely motherhood.
A great deal has happened within the industry during my few years at Americafruit Magazine; the most salient of which seems to be the sector’s latest push towards securing food safety. This April alone some US$8m has been pledged for research into preventing the spread of food-borne pathogens (see p4-5 of the latest issue) in the wake of the tragic E.coli outbreak that swept across the US and Canada last autumn and winter.
Industry bodies, government agencies and private firms are clubbing together to protect the health of consumers, as well as their own future, by setting up research centres, studies and projects to stop similar occurrences from ever happening again. It’s not often an industry demonstrates such solidarity: a fitting reaction to a dreadful event.
The tide is also turning within the realms of US import law. Instead of barring items left, right and centre, the country has recently opened up to a flurry of new products – seemingly relaxing its protectionist stance. Within the last six months or so, the US has allowed Mexican avocados into all 50 states, granted access to New Zealand citrus (see p33), and agreed to let in fresh mangoes from India (see p5). Could the country be mellowing in its old age? Or is it simply capitulating to globalisation pressures and consumer demand for produce year-round?
Perhaps Mother Nature is another contributing factor? Climatic disasters and erratic weather patterns are making securing domestic supplies ever more unpredictable. But retailers have shelves to fill, so importers need to widen their sourcing net to meet demand.
It goes without saying that the next several years will see a great many more changes, driven to a large extent by developments in supply chain technology. I wish you luck keeping pace with them all, and to all of you, the very best for the future – whatever it may bring.
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Always take the weather with you
01 February 2007 12:15 | Permalink
Luisa Cheshire
If 2004/05 were the year of the hurricane, then 2006/07 has to be the time of the freeze.
Tropical storm Katrina, which ravaged New Orleans in August 2005, was the costliest and one of the deadliest hurricanes in the history of the US. It was the sixth-strongest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the fifth to hit the US gulf coast in a matter of months that year.
Although nowhere near as devastating, a spate of severe frosts has punctuated the last and first few months of 2006/07, destroying citrus crops and damaging livelihoods in southern Australia and California in the US. Mexico hasn’t escaped the cold snap either, since unseasonably low temperatures have hampered mango production (see p43-46 of the current issue) and delayed its asparagus deal (p48-49).
Chile is the latest country to be affected by unusual climatic conditions so far this year. Heavy rain hit the nation’s lucrative grape crop in mid-February, bringing harvesting to a halt and throwing into question the exportability of much of the Thompson Seedless yield (see p7).
Weird weather patterns, it seems, are taking hold across the globe. Turn on the TV, buy a newspaper or open your front door and, more often than not, you’re confronted by an unsettling meteorological scene. As frightening as these climatic anomalies are, could some good be finally coming of them? Are politicians and consumers at last waking up to their collective responsibility towards the environment and instigating some long-awaited changes to the way we treat the planet?
Some produce shippers think so. They believe US and Canadian governments are now putting the environment at the top of their agendas; and a few attribute rising demand for organic fruit in North America to growing public concern about food production polluting the earth.
Fisher Capespan, for one, says it is boosting its imports of organic Argentine pears this season in response to burgeoning sales at retail level. And organic marketer CF Fresh reveals its Argentine and Chilean apple and pear import deal is pegged at a healthy 750,000 cartons this year (see p41).
Overall, the 2007 Southern Hemisphere pipfruit season looks set to be a strong one (see p4 and p40-42). That is unless Mother Nature chooses to intervene.
If 2004/05 were the year of the hurricane, then 2006/07 has to be the time of the freeze.
Tropical storm Katrina, which ravaged New Orleans in August 2005, was the costliest and one of the deadliest hurricanes in the history of the US. It was the sixth-strongest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the fifth to hit the US gulf coast in a matter of months that year.
Although nowhere near as devastating, a spate of severe frosts has punctuated the last and first few months of 2006/07, destroying citrus crops and damaging livelihoods in southern Australia and California in the US. Mexico hasn’t escaped the cold snap either, since unseasonably low temperatures have hampered mango production (see p43-46 of the current issue) and delayed its asparagus deal (p48-49).
Chile is the latest country to be affected by unusual climatic conditions so far this year. Heavy rain hit the nation’s lucrative grape crop in mid-February, bringing harvesting to a halt and throwing into question the exportability of much of the Thompson Seedless yield (see p7).
Weird weather patterns, it seems, are taking hold across the globe. Turn on the TV, buy a newspaper or open your front door and, more often than not, you’re confronted by an unsettling meteorological scene. As frightening as these climatic anomalies are, could some good be finally coming of them? Are politicians and consumers at last waking up to their collective responsibility towards the environment and instigating some long-awaited changes to the way we treat the planet?
Some produce shippers think so. They believe US and Canadian governments are now putting the environment at the top of their agendas; and a few attribute rising demand for organic fruit in North America to growing public concern about food production polluting the earth.
Fisher Capespan, for one, says it is boosting its imports of organic Argentine pears this season in response to burgeoning sales at retail level. And organic marketer CF Fresh reveals its Argentine and Chilean apple and pear import deal is pegged at a healthy 750,000 cartons this year (see p41).
Overall, the 2007 Southern Hemisphere pipfruit season looks set to be a strong one (see p4 and p40-42). That is unless Mother Nature chooses to intervene.
Wake up and smell the carrot juice
07 October 2006 15:44 | Permalink
Luisa Cheshire
They say there’s no such thing as bad publicity. But when E.coli in spinach hit the headlines in September, it dealt a heavy blow to the US bagged salads sector.
The FDA has since traced the source of the unprecedented nationwide outbreak that first struck in August to one farm in California (see news page 4). But the damage to the entire industry has been done.
When the federal health agency banned all US shipments as the number of E.coli cases spread, the spinach trade ground to a halt. Retailers and restaurateurs pulled all spinach products from their outlets, and consumer alarm escalated as one death was reported and the number of cases rose to the present 192 across 26 US states and Canada.
As Americafruit went to press, the FBI had been called in to assist FDA investigations into the cause of the outbreak. However, all fresh spinach packs – bar those supplied by Natural Selection Foods – had been released back onto the market. But will sales ever recover?
The recently-formed trade body United Fresh says it could be some time before the financial implications of the crisis can be fully measured. But even they think it could take a while for consumers to regain trust in the product.
E.coli spinach, and now botulism in carrot juice (see news page 4), are certainly not the kind of labels with which the produce industry wants to be branded. The spinach debacle has given rise to government calls for greater industry regulation to prevent a similar outbreak ever happening again – a move that all produce trade associations have welcomed.
But, even with more rigorous standards and reams of red tape, can any food produced on an industrial scale ever be 100 per cent safe to eat? We’ve witnessed the appalling effects of mass production in the UK meat industry with the devastating BSE and foot-and-mouth outbreaks. Are fruits and vegetables heading the same way?
In any event, these latest food scares will act as a wake-up call for the whole fresh produce trade. Companies must face the uncomfortable truth that potentially lethal bugs can penetrate even the most high-tech operations, so there is no room for complacency.
Traceability and hygiene issues typically feature prominently at international produce trade events. It’s my guess the E.coli spinach crisis will dominate discussions at October’s PMA Fresh Summit in San Diego both on and off the trade floor. One thing is for certain, though: when it comes to 100 per cent guarantees in food safety, the industry should never assume it’s in the bag.
They say there’s no such thing as bad publicity. But when E.coli in spinach hit the headlines in September, it dealt a heavy blow to the US bagged salads sector.
The FDA has since traced the source of the unprecedented nationwide outbreak that first struck in August to one farm in California (see news page 4). But the damage to the entire industry has been done.
When the federal health agency banned all US shipments as the number of E.coli cases spread, the spinach trade ground to a halt. Retailers and restaurateurs pulled all spinach products from their outlets, and consumer alarm escalated as one death was reported and the number of cases rose to the present 192 across 26 US states and Canada.
As Americafruit went to press, the FBI had been called in to assist FDA investigations into the cause of the outbreak. However, all fresh spinach packs – bar those supplied by Natural Selection Foods – had been released back onto the market. But will sales ever recover?
The recently-formed trade body United Fresh says it could be some time before the financial implications of the crisis can be fully measured. But even they think it could take a while for consumers to regain trust in the product.
E.coli spinach, and now botulism in carrot juice (see news page 4), are certainly not the kind of labels with which the produce industry wants to be branded. The spinach debacle has given rise to government calls for greater industry regulation to prevent a similar outbreak ever happening again – a move that all produce trade associations have welcomed.
But, even with more rigorous standards and reams of red tape, can any food produced on an industrial scale ever be 100 per cent safe to eat? We’ve witnessed the appalling effects of mass production in the UK meat industry with the devastating BSE and foot-and-mouth outbreaks. Are fruits and vegetables heading the same way?
In any event, these latest food scares will act as a wake-up call for the whole fresh produce trade. Companies must face the uncomfortable truth that potentially lethal bugs can penetrate even the most high-tech operations, so there is no room for complacency.
Traceability and hygiene issues typically feature prominently at international produce trade events. It’s my guess the E.coli spinach crisis will dominate discussions at October’s PMA Fresh Summit in San Diego both on and off the trade floor. One thing is for certain, though: when it comes to 100 per cent guarantees in food safety, the industry should never assume it’s in the bag.
Who can consumers trust?
02 August 2006 13:50 | Permalink
Luisa Cheshire
As if the organic versus conventional food debate weren’t contentious enough, recent revelations have thrown further controversy into the mix.
In July, A Dallas Morning News investigation discovered serious breaches of national organic standards among USDA-certified products, and found that some so-called organic producers and food manufacturers who consistently flouted USDA organic rules were left unchecked.
In other words, food labelled in US stores as organic might actually contain more man-made chemicals than a beauty parlour.
In the Dallas Morning News report, a USDA spokeswoman admitted the agency hadn’t fined anyone for misuse of the USDA organic label, and revealed that her small team struggled to keep up with the booming industry (see p48).
So, if the USDA isn’t protecting its own organic label, who can consumers trust when they wish to buy organic food?
According to the North American Organic Trade Association (OTA), the USDA is looking into these latest organic-standard complaints. Indeed, as Americafruit Magazine went to press, the USDA announced it was revoking the accreditation of American Food Safety Institute International – an organic certification agency for the National Organic Program.
The USDA issued a final notice to the Wisconsin-based firm after earlier citing "seven serious violations of the NOP regulations". The company may not certify organic producers, handlers, livestock operations and wild crop harvesting operations for at least three years.
But the Dallas Morning News investigation highlights the fact that, when it comes to food, consumers are still at the mercy of everyone in the supply chain.
People tend to buy organic food because they perceive it to be more ‘natural’ than conventional products. What a disappointment, then, to find this may not be the case at all.
Are these breaches just a temporary glitch, or is the organic movement becoming a victim of its own success? Is it possible for organic producers and food manufacturers to stick to their principles and meet the demands of an ever-expanding market? Will we ever really know?
One thing is for sure: more mass-merchandisers are jumping on the organic bandwagon, boosting their organic lines and touting their allegiance as the market swells. According to the OTA, the US organic industry grew 17 per cent overall to reach US$14.6bn in consumer sales in 2005 (see p44-45). Of that, food accounted for US$13.8bn, with fruit and vegetables representing a 39 per cent share.
As organic market leaders, perhaps fresh produce suppliers should set the precedent by always putting consumers first.
As if the organic versus conventional food debate weren’t contentious enough, recent revelations have thrown further controversy into the mix.
In July, A Dallas Morning News investigation discovered serious breaches of national organic standards among USDA-certified products, and found that some so-called organic producers and food manufacturers who consistently flouted USDA organic rules were left unchecked.
In other words, food labelled in US stores as organic might actually contain more man-made chemicals than a beauty parlour.
In the Dallas Morning News report, a USDA spokeswoman admitted the agency hadn’t fined anyone for misuse of the USDA organic label, and revealed that her small team struggled to keep up with the booming industry (see p48).
So, if the USDA isn’t protecting its own organic label, who can consumers trust when they wish to buy organic food?
According to the North American Organic Trade Association (OTA), the USDA is looking into these latest organic-standard complaints. Indeed, as Americafruit Magazine went to press, the USDA announced it was revoking the accreditation of American Food Safety Institute International – an organic certification agency for the National Organic Program.
The USDA issued a final notice to the Wisconsin-based firm after earlier citing "seven serious violations of the NOP regulations". The company may not certify organic producers, handlers, livestock operations and wild crop harvesting operations for at least three years.
But the Dallas Morning News investigation highlights the fact that, when it comes to food, consumers are still at the mercy of everyone in the supply chain.
People tend to buy organic food because they perceive it to be more ‘natural’ than conventional products. What a disappointment, then, to find this may not be the case at all.
Are these breaches just a temporary glitch, or is the organic movement becoming a victim of its own success? Is it possible for organic producers and food manufacturers to stick to their principles and meet the demands of an ever-expanding market? Will we ever really know?
One thing is for sure: more mass-merchandisers are jumping on the organic bandwagon, boosting their organic lines and touting their allegiance as the market swells. According to the OTA, the US organic industry grew 17 per cent overall to reach US$14.6bn in consumer sales in 2005 (see p44-45). Of that, food accounted for US$13.8bn, with fruit and vegetables representing a 39 per cent share.
As organic market leaders, perhaps fresh produce suppliers should set the precedent by always putting consumers first.