The demand for organic has infiltrated the sweet Vidalia onion world — a demand that’s rising incrementally year after year, growers and marketers say.
I’m a New York City foodie these days, but if I ever seem suspiciously warm or relaxed (or kooky), you’ll nod with understanding when I reveal that I grew up in Florida.
Like so many other industry conferences, trade shows and events that draw large groups, the April 23-26 Vidalia Onion Festival was canceled to keep the public from spreading the new coronavirus COVID-19.
Vidalia growers, like producers of other fresh produce commodities, keep getting squeezed by rising costs in labor, food safety, environmental regulations and technology.
Rain overstayed its welcome a bit, but not long enough to overshadow the mild, warm weather that favored the coming 2020 Vidalia onion crop of southern Georgia.
The Vidalia onion industry is planning for an aggressive promotional season, said Bob Stafford, interim director of the Vidalia Onion Committee in Vidalia, Ga.
Retailers have numerous packaging options for merchandising Vidalia onions, but the product itself may be the most important marketing tool, growers and shippers say.
Sweet onions come in a variety of colors from a range of growing districts, but none approach the Vidalia product, growers and marketers from the Vidalia district say.
The Vidalia onion industry has plans for an aggressive promotional season, said Bob Stafford, interim director of the Vidalia Onion Committee in Vidalia, Ga.