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<title>Eurofruit Magazine RSS Feed</title><link>http://www.americafruit.com/index.html</link><description>Fresh comment from Eurofruit Magazine</description><dc:language>en</dc:language><dc:creator>michael@fruitnet.com</dc:creator><dc:rights>&#xa9; Market Intelligence Ltd</dc:rights><dc:date>2007-12-01T15:04:53+00:00</dc:date><admin:generatorAgent rdf:resource="http://www.realmacsoftware.com/" />
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<lastBuildDate>Wed, 16 Jan 2008 15:09:47 +0000</lastBuildDate><item><title>What next for Chilean grapes?</title><dc:creator>michael@fruitnet.com</dc:creator><dc:subject>Home</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-12-01T15:04:53+00:00</dc:date><link>http://www.americafruit.com/files/what_next_chilean_grapes.html#unique-entry-id-14</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.americafruit.com/files/what_next_chilean_grapes.html#unique-entry-id-14</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Maura Maxwell - Editor

These are challenging times for Chile&rsquo;s grape producers.  The sliding dollar and rising labor costs have eroded the sector&rsquo;s profitability, sparking a period of upheaval and change whose repercussions are being felt across America.

Dole, for example, has almost halved its Chilean grape program in just five years, citing external pressures as being largely responsible for its decision.  Chiquita, too, is permanently scaling back growing operations to concentrate strictly on marketing after several poor seasons.

Is this the beginning of the end of what history will judge to be the golden era in Chilean fruit production, or merely a painful period of readjustment that&rsquo;s vital to put the industry back on a steady course for the future?

Currency woes aside, analysts point out that it was only a matter of time before something had to give.  Buoyed by a series of record-breaking seasons, planted area has soared in the past decade, coinciding with similar production increases in other Southern Hemisphere countries.  As one US importer puts it succinctly: &ldquo;the days of minimum pricing guarantees are a thing of the past&rdquo;.

Thompson production is already being scaled back &ndash; particularly in the south of the country &ndash; and growers who are in it for the long haul are anticipating better returns once supplies start to fall.

But with South Africa giving exporters a run for their money in Europe, the US is set to remain its core market.  The weak dollar will no doubt put some exporters off in the short term, but the leading players will not wish to risk damaging the long-term relationships they have carefully cultivated with US importers and retailers throughout the years.

The outlook is by no means entirely gloomy.  For some US companies, such as Paramus, New Jersey-based Pro-Fruit Marketing, the multinationals&rsquo; decision to scale back operations presents an exciting opportunity to expand own their programs by forging new relationships with the country&rsquo;s growers.

And the short-term prospects for growers aren&rsquo;t looking at all bad.  The late start of both the Chilean and Peruvian deals should result in a shortage of fruit during the peak Christmas and New Year period, bolstering returns and providing a glimmer of Christmas cheer at least.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Farmers head south as crackdown bites</title><dc:creator>michael@fruitnet.com</dc:creator><dc:subject>Home</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-10-01T10:27:05+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.americafruit.com/files/farmers_south_crackdown_bites.html#unique-entry-id-13</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.americafruit.com/files/farmers_south_crackdown_bites.html#unique-entry-id-13</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Maura Maxwell

The wider availability of imported fruits and vegetables has played an important role in pushing up consumption levels in the US. According to a recent USDA report, annual US imports of fresh fruit and vegetables surged from US$2.7bn to US$7.9bn between 1990-92 and 2004-06.  During the same period, fruit consumption rose from 88.7 lbs to 101.2 lbs, while vegetable consumption climbed to 173.5lbs from 123.2lbs.

A major part of this rise has come from the growing popularity of exotic fruits like mangoes, pineapples and papayas, whose market share has doubled in just over a decade.  By and large, fruit imports supplement, rather than replace American production, either because they are products not grown locally or because imports are limited to times of the year when there is no domestic production.

The rise in sales of imported vegetables &ndash; most of which hail from Mexico and Canada &ndash; has also come in response to consumer demand for year-round supplies.  But recently, US farmers have started moving their operations out of the country for altogether different reasons.  A government crackdown on illegal immigrants has left many large-scale vegetable farmers scrambling to find enough workers to harvest their crops and an increasing number of them are shifting production south of the border into Mexico, where labor is in cheap and plentiful supply.

While it is difficult to obtain precise figures on the extent of American farming interests in Mexico, one US senator, Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, claims to know of more than 46,000 acres that American growers are cultivating in just two Mexican states, Guanajuato and Baja California.

The effects of the clampdown on migrant workers are already starting to be felt in America&rsquo;s agricultural heartland, where fears are mounting that many working in agriculture and supporting industries could lose their jobs if the exodus continues.

The erosion of national borders is part and parcel of today&rsquo;s increasingly globalized food industry as producers chase cheaper sources of production.  By moving to plug the tide of migrant workers from Central and South America, the US is simply speeding up the process.

And one man&rsquo;s loss is another man&rsquo;s gain.  Foreign investors are pouring huge amounts of capital into the construction of state-of-the-art farms in Mexico whose output is trucked north of the border to satisfy the growing appetite for healthy food.  The farmer is happy, the consumer is happy.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Put school programs on the slow burner</title><dc:creator>michael@fruitnet.com</dc:creator><dc:subject>Home</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-08-01T10:24:23+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.americafruit.com/files/6e6a27c521b2d55c5a8c8fd9de404472-12.html#unique-entry-id-12</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.americafruit.com/files/6e6a27c521b2d55c5a8c8fd9de404472-12.html#unique-entry-id-12</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Maura Maxwell

America&rsquo;s childhood obesity epidemic has prompted a raft of government programs to encourage kids to eat more healthily.  Yet disheartening new research into the effectiveness of such schemes appears to show they are, by and large, a waste of time.

The Associated Press review of the scientific studies examining 57 government nutrition programs reveals that just four achieved any real success in improving the children&rsquo;s eating habits.  A typical example is a pilot program offering free fruits and vegetables to school kids, in which Grade 5 pupils became less willing to eat them than they had at the start &ndash; because they didn&rsquo;t like the taste!

Since the 1970s, obesity rates in the US have risen five-fold among 6-11 year-olds and tripled in teens and children aged 2-5, according to the Centers for Disease Control.  Government and health professionals are scratching their heads as to how to halt the inexorable ticking of the obesity time bomb.

As one eminent pediatrician acknowledges: &ldquo;the forces that make kids fat are really strong and hard to fight with just a program in school&rdquo;.  He&rsquo;s right of course, but it&rsquo;s too early to

write off such schemes yet.  What is needed is a fundamental shift in attitudes.  Just look at drinking and driving.  It has taken almost 40 years of relentless media campaigning for it to become socially unacceptable, whereas most of our parents&rsquo; generation regularly drove after enjoying more than a tipple.

It takes time for attitudes to change and, as with road deaths, there will be many casualties along the way.

But we must persevere with school programs and hope that on some level, they do leave a lasting impact on children.  Perhaps not enough to make them modify their own behavior.  But at the very least they will be equipped with the right tools to help them make the right nutritional choices for their children.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Will glitzy greens catch on outside US?</title><dc:creator>michael@fruitnet.com</dc:creator><dc:subject>Home</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-06-01T10:21:31+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.americafruit.com/files/glitzy_gree_outside_us.html#unique-entry-id-11</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.americafruit.com/files/glitzy_gree_outside_us.html#unique-entry-id-11</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Maura Maxwell

Whole Foods Market has exploded onto the UK consciousness, with last month&rsquo;s opening of its flagship store in London heralding the start of an ambitious European expansion program for the Austin, Texas-based company.

Even residents of the affluent neighborhood of Kensington, well used to the lavish excess of nearby Harrods, have never experienced anything quite like it: 80,000ft2 of foodie nirvana, among which you can find 40 types of home-made sausage, 17 varieties of tomato and 200 types of olive oil.

But how will the concept go down with the punters once the initial hype has died down?  Some analysts believe the company&rsquo;s success in the US, where up to now it has occupied a niche position at the premium end of the market, will be harder to replicate in the UK.  Established supermarkets like Waitrose and Marks & Spencer already stock extensive organic ranges &ndash; and at considerably more competitive prices.

While Whole Foods&rsquo; green credentials appear impressive, in fact only half the produce sold at its Kensington store is organic &ndash; the rest is marketed as &ldquo;natural&rdquo;, although how natural a product has to be to make the hefty prices any more palletable to the savvy British shopper remains to be seen.

And despite a commitment to source locally wherever possible, the sheer depth and breadth of products on offer must crank up the store&rsquo;s food-mile tally considerably.  Just recently, a study by the University of Alberta revealed that with many organic products traveling further than conventionally-grown food, the greenhouse gas emitted during transportation cancels out the environmental benefits of growing the food organically.

All of which should not detract from the Whole Foods experience.  The company&rsquo;s stated mission &ndash; to sell the highest quality natural and organic products available &ndash; is backed up by an array of impressive policies, such as donating 5 per cent of its profits to local not-for-profit organizations and recycling all packaging and waste.

But it&rsquo;s hard to escape the feeling of excess that permeates from every unblemished apple and succulent steak that gleams attractively under the store&rsquo;s ambient lighting.  One can&rsquo;t help wondering whether this temple to gluttony &ndash; albeit virtuous gluttony &ndash; will revolutionize Europe&rsquo;s organic scene as it has done back home, or whether customers will be put off by the glitzy green approach.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>What goes around&#x2c; comes around</title><dc:creator>michael@fruitnet.com</dc:creator><category>Americas</category><dc:date>2007-04-01T12:07:10+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.americafruit.com/files/what_goes_around_comes_around.html#unique-entry-id-8</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.americafruit.com/files/what_goes_around_comes_around.html#unique-entry-id-8</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[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 &ndash; 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 &ndash; not to mention extremely welcoming.

It seems fitting, therefore, that just as Canada&rsquo;s leading trade show returns to Quebec&rsquo;s historic city for its 82nd convention, I should hang up my produce hat (temporarily at least) to pursue pastures new &ndash; 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&rsquo;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&rsquo;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 &ndash; 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 &ndash; whatever it may bring.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Always take the weather with you</title><dc:creator>michael@fruitnet.com</dc:creator><category>Americas</category><dc:date>2007-02-01T12:15:19+00:00</dc:date><link>http://www.americafruit.com/files/always_take_the_weather_with_you.html#unique-entry-id-9</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.americafruit.com/files/always_take_the_weather_with_you.html#unique-entry-id-9</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[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&rsquo;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&rsquo;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&rsquo;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.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Eating with a conscience</title><dc:creator>michael@fruitnet.com</dc:creator><category>Global</category><dc:date>2006-12-01T12:17:54+00:00</dc:date><link>http://www.americafruit.com/files/eating_with_a_conscience.html#unique-entry-id-10</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.americafruit.com/files/eating_with_a_conscience.html#unique-entry-id-10</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Luisa Cheshire

In A bid to save the planet, my husband and I have tried to eat seasonally.  Our efforts lasted precisely one week, after which neither of us could face another meal where cabbage played a principal role, and the only alternative was celeriac &ndash; which, frankly, terrified us.

So what are UK-dwellers (I should have mentioned we live in England) with a conscience to cook during the long, dark winter months?  How can not-terribly-imaginative individuals eat varied fresh produce without racking up air miles each time they shop that contribute to the destruction of our natural world?

The answer, I&rsquo;ve decided, is simple.  Move.  Spend November to March anywhere in the Southern Hemisphere or Latin America (cycle there, obviously), and feast on a vast array of fruits and vegetables morning, noon and night in the happy knowledge that you&rsquo;re doing your bit.  Take Chile, for example, with its cherries and peaches (see Americafruit Magazine p12-17); South Africa and its grapes (p18-20); Peru with its luscious mangoes; and Guatemala with its greenhouse veg (see p34-37).  These are just a fraction of the commodities harvested in these countries at a time when Britain&rsquo;s fields lie frosty and fallow.

And if you can&rsquo;t relocate?  Then you have to weigh up the odds.  Contribute to the global obesity epidemic by living on potatoes in their various forms over an entire winter, or buy imported produce and watch the ice caps melt.

While getting fat puts an enormous strain on the economic health of a country, buying fruit from Peru or other exotic climes can actually do some good.  For a start, as you all know, a great deal of imported produce is shipped by sea &ndash; not air.  And what is more, it can generate wealth both at source and final destination (read p21-25) &ndash; not to mention help keep Northern Hemisphere populations fighting fit and disease free, all of which puts us in a stronger position to protect the planet.

This festive season, therefore, I&rsquo;m going to substitute mince pies for mangoes (well, maybe I&rsquo;ll allow myself a few) and plant the Christmas tree in the garden for good measure.  My New Year&rsquo;s resolution is to continue to avoid using the car and support fresh produce grower-shippers with my wallet wherever they might be.

Wishing you health and happiness in 2007.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Wake up and smell the carrot juice</title><dc:creator>michael@fruitnet.com</dc:creator><category>Americas</category><dc:date>2006-10-07T15:44:47+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.americafruit.com/files/8da491ef28565cbf5bb8df1f6d76a416-7.html#unique-entry-id-7</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.americafruit.com/files/8da491ef28565cbf5bb8df1f6d76a416-7.html#unique-entry-id-7</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Luisa Cheshire

They say there&rsquo;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 &ndash; bar those supplied by Natural Selection Foods &ndash; 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 &ndash; 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&rsquo;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&rsquo;s my guess the E.coli spinach crisis will dominate discussions at October&rsquo;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&rsquo;s in the bag.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Who can consumers trust?</title><dc:creator>michael@fruitnet.com</dc:creator><category>Americas</category><dc:date>2006-08-02T13:50:09+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.americafruit.com/files/who_can_consumers_trust.html#unique-entry-id-1</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.americafruit.com/files/who_can_consumers_trust.html#unique-entry-id-1</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Luisa Cheshire

As if the organic versus conventional food debate weren&rsquo;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&rsquo;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&rsquo;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 &ndash; 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 &lsquo;natural&rsquo; 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.]]></content:encoded></item></channel>
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