Latest News From Vegetables

The New York-based specialty mushroom company continues to grow westward, adding 192 Sprouts locations to its growing retailer presence.

Mushrooms remain a Top 10 seller in fresh vegetables and are an important contributor to the success of the produce department, says Anne-Marie Roerink, principal and founder of 210 Analytics.

The company is growing green bell peppers, corn and colored bell peppers in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, with green bell peppers having the biggest increase, says sales representative Marco Serrano.

The California-based avocado producer and value-added fresh purveyor has secured exclusive manufacturing rights for Old El Paso brand fresh guacamole and salsas in the U.S. market.

Amid weather and labor obstacles, South Texas growers expect normal supplies of winter vegetables to resume by early December.

The Canadian-based greenhouse grower is adding Yoom, a purple cocktail tomato with a sweet-savory flavor, to its roster.

The Sunions tear-free onion variety returns for the 2022-23 season, promising mild flavor, distinctive crunch and a mild pungency that won’t trigger waterworks when slicing and dicing.

Indiana’s summer dry weather has caused lower pumpkin yields for this year’s fall festival season.

After five years of negotiations, Colombia celebrates the arrival of the first shipment of bell peppers to the U.S.

The Vidalia onion season officially kicks off on April 12, and Bland Farms, a Glennville, Ga.-based grower, packer and shipper of sweet onions, is optimistic despite the market’s current challenges.

John Shuman, president and CEO of Shuman Farms, shares Vidalia onion merchandising strategies.

While all fresh produce is healthy and can boost the immune system to some extent, mushrooms have some unique qualities that can still be promoted during what is hopefully the tail end of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sacrifice: Joseph Sparacio will plant no seed and tend no crops in 2020. Instead, the farmer-patriot has left behind everything he loves to answer the call of duty.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has closed a Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act case against a potato chip company.

The Packer's Tom Karst visited Sept. 16 with Shay Myers,  CEO of Parma, Idaho-based Owyhee Produce.

The Chop Shop Produce LLC, San Antonio, has satisfied a Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act reparation order.

See The Packer's 2020 Fresh Trends Data on tomatoes!

The USDA’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program gets mixed reviews from sweet potato growers across the country. 

Hurricane Laura slammed into Cameron, La., with winds of 150 m.p.h. at 1 a.m. Central on Aug. 27, leaving coastal areas nearby battered and bringing heavy winds and rains inland.

Who's with me when I say, "I'm pretty tired of cooking!" The problem is that I still crave some of the more time-consuming comforting foods – like mashed potatoes!

Who's with me when I say, "I'm pretty tired of cooking!" The problem is that I still crave some of the more time-consuming comforting foods – like mashed potatoes!

The Food and Drug Administration’s investigation into an outbreak of cyclospora infection from Fresh Express garden salads led the agency to Florida, where the parasite was found in a canal.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has scheduled a web seminar on recent changes to the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP).

The new coronavirus has created trying conditions for mushroom grower-shippers, especially those who do a significant amount of business with foodservice operators.

Checking in on the Idaho-eastern Oregon onion harvest, The Packer’s Tom Karst visited Aug. 12 with Shay Myers, CEO of Parma, Idaho-based Owyhee Produce.

For August, Arvin, Calif.-based Tasteful Selections celebrates its rebrand as part of its 10-year anniversary campaign.

At one point this spring, Jason Turek wasn’t sure if he’d have enough labor to plant any pumpkins. Then he worried that nobody would buy them. Then government stimulus money kicked in, and he began to relax. 

Michele Youngquist, president of Bay Baby Produce, Mount Vernon, Wash., is introducing a new gourd this year, the Squidmo. 

Basciani Mushroom Farms, Avondale, Pa., is almost back to full production after disruption by the new coronavirus, said Michael Basciani, CEO.

Here is the consumer data for broccoli and Brussels sprouts in 2020!

Here's the latest news relating to potatoes!

More consumers are putting asparagus in their carts. The vegetable was the No. 2 item that shoppers said they tried in the past year that they hadn’t eaten previously.

Change has been the norm over the past few at Gonzalez, Calif-based Misionero Vegetables, said Nicole Zapata, marketing director.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has filed an administrative complaint under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act against First Fruits Holdings for more than $1 million in unpaid shipments.

Greencastle, Pa.-based Keystone Fruit Marketing Inc. is looking to step into large volumes of rosé red Walla Walla sweet onions this season, said Dan Borer, general manager of Keystone’s Walla Walla, Wash., office.

Check out the recent kale news on The Packer and Produce Marketing Guide!

Recent cauliflower news and insights brought to you by The Packer and Produce Market Guide.

The Oppenheimer Group has begun harvest of Oceanside Pole label roma and round tomatoes, with volume expected to peak in September and October. 

Los Angeles-based Progressive Produce has begun harvesting the first fields of its jalapeno, Anaheim, and pasilla chili peppers.

Customs and Border Production officers in Pharr, Texas, intercepted a commercial load of Mexican onions with $30.5 million worth of suspected methamphetamine in the trailer.

Cases of cyclospora infection linked to Fresh Express salads continue to rise, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Canada is reporting its first cases.

A culinary instructor who created an “escape room” to complement her course in food safety and sanitation has been recognized by the Idaho Potato Commission.

C&E Farms, Cheriton, Va., has a new Shorely Fresh package for unsnipped green beans.

Shay Myers, CEO of Parma, Idaho-based Owyhee Produce, is The Packer’s 2020 Produce Man of the Year. The Packer “presented” the award in a video presentation during United Fresh LIVE! on June 17.

Fresh carrots from South Korea have been approved for shipment to the U.S.

Side Delights, San Francisco, Calif., has evolved its 2019 Grown Where it Matters digital campaign to a 2020 Time for What Matters campaign.

Four in 10 consumers polled by The Packer’s Fresh Trends 2020 consumer research study said they purchased bell peppers in the past 12 months.

Customs and Border Protection officers seized more than 1 ½ tons of marijuana in a fresh broccoli shipment as it crossed into the U.S. in Texas.

A public recreation center in Leamington, Ontario, has been renamed the Nature Fresh Farms Recreation Centre.

The potato industry needs more help than what the government has given so far, Kam Quarles believes.