Holy Grail or afterthought?

How important is a seal or label demonstrating to consumers that California leafy greens were grown according to Good Agricultural Practices? That's a practical consideration now. As this story notes, the California leafy greens marketing agreement board is considering the use of a seal.
From the story:

"There is a plan at some point to use a seal that would alert consumers, so that they'd know the produce they're purchasing has been handled properly," says a spokesman for the California Department of Food and Agriculture.


TK: How brand marketers choose to display the seal on bags of spinach and other leafy greens will be revealing. One would think the board will likely put some parameters in place regarding the size of the seal on consumer bags, and its use may be optional. I think the use of the seal is a good idea and will be important to consumers, at least in the short term.

Farm to table in China

This sounds familiar; a politician is talking about produce safety, and for good reason. This time, the dialogue is in another language. Here is the link to a report from China about "farm to table" food safety of fresh fresh produce.
From the story:

Chinese President Hu Jintao urged Party and government officials to ensure that farm produce is safe and strict agricultural standards are enforced at a meeting on Tuesday.
Hu Jintao, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said quality control of farm produce all the way from field and barn to consumers' tables is vitally necessary.
Hu, presiding a working group of members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said applying strict agricultural standards is crucial to ensuring all 1.3 billion Chinese have enough safe food.
After listening to lectures by two experts on agriculture and food science, Hu called for better monitoring of environmental conditions in major farm producing areas.
China must produce more chemical-free produce and green food, Hu said, noting that farmers should be taught to use fertilizers more cautiously and scientifically.


TK: China's many small farmers make it challenging for the country to educate and communicate about food safety, and there are numerous there have been numerous illness outbreaks related to misuse of inputs. Here is the link to a story about pesticide misuse in China. Meanwhile, the drumbeat about food safety and FDA oversight continues in America. Here is a Reuters story looking at how Congress may cut off salaries of some FDA officials if things don't improve.

Indian mangoes on the way

India's irradiated mangoes are headed to the U.S., according to this story from the Turkish Press online, (one of my favorite sites... not so much).
From the April 26 story:

The United States is set to receive its first consignment of prized Indian mangoes in 18 years after lifting a ban, officials said Thursday.
Commerce ministry officials here said 150 boxes of the famed King Alphonso and Kessar varieties would depart by air for New York later on Thursday from the western Indian city of Mumbai.
"This weekend Indian mangoes could be on the breakfast tables of Americans who fancy the 'king of the fruits,'" a ministry official told AFP, as Indian customs said it would clear the consignment for export.
India has been pushing for years to export its mangoes to the United States since they were banned in 1989 over problems with pests such as fruit flies and weevils.
But US President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh signed a deal in New Delhi in March 2006 to promote trade in agriculture that paved the way for the mango exports.
The mango is native to India, which grows more than half the world's output but whose exports amount to just seven percent of the world mango trade.
Indian export officials say the mangoes are being irradiated in India to ensure there is no risk of introduction of plant diseases and pests.

From the March 12 Federal Register final rule that allowed imports of Indian mangoes.

Although this final rule will allow imports of all mango varieties, according to comments received on the proposed rule, producers in India are currently interested in exporting six varieties of mangoes to the United States--`Kesar,' `Alfonse,' \13\ `Banganpalli,' `Lagra,' `Dussehry,' and `Neelam'--from four States: Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh. Based on a site visit conducted by APHIS officials, we believe the majority of exports would originate from Gujarat and Maharashtra, where there are two and six production areas, respectively, producing `Kesar' and `Alfonse' varieties. Comments received on the proposed rule indicate that the harvest season in India stretches from March to July. According to the request from the Government of India, the quantity of mangoes exported to the United States would be about 100 sea containers per year.\14\ With India being the world leader in mango production, and a typical export packinghouse having a shipping capacity of 40-50 metric tons (over 88,000 lbs.) per day for 45-50 days of the harvest season, the amount imported into the United States would likely only be limited by U.S. market forces. Entry of Indian mangoes into the domestic market would provide increased variety and greater selection for consumers in the continental United States.


Here is a press release link from India confirming the first shipment.

TK: I called the New York City USDA market news office and they said the Indian mango has not appeared yet. I have a call into USDA APHIS on the facts of the story. Though I could poke fun at the majestic tone of this story - "prized Indian mangoes" and "king of fruits" - it is no small occasion when the world largest producer of mangoes begins to send irradiated fruit to the U.S. Any Fresh Talk readers handling this new deal?

Mission minded

I think PBH lost out on an opportunity to build excitement in the Fruits and Veggies More Matters Web site by passing on the chance to use Disney characters on their Web site. An earlier post provides Elizabeth Pivonka's letter to the board on the decision.

Either way, this is not a make or break decision. Much more work on the Fruits and Veggies: More Matters message must be done to even nudge the awareness meter of the brand.These efforts will take much more toil and investment. As the graph at the bottom of the blog show, current visitors to the More Matters Web site are measured in the thousands, not millions.

Using the Disney characters would have given the F&VMM site more oomph and personality, and the brainstorming by Imagination Farms to be extend the More Matters should be commended. From all indications, IF remains committed to extended the More Matters message in other ways.

The PBH Executive Committee now must come up with parameters that allow the staff clear direction in the pursuit of their mission to expand fruit and vegetable consumption. Elizabeth Pivonka mentioned to me once that one of their public health partners raised objections to a campaign with McDonald's on one of their salad items. Now, an association with Disney characters is nixed because of competitive concerns among produce marketers. PBH and the industry must figure out how to vault the More Matters brand into the mainstream of the American consciousness without offending any of their core supporters - and it doesn't look like it will be very easy.

Chile's the best

It is nothing the produce industry already didn't know, but the World Economic Forum has recently ranked Chile as the top Latin American country relative to its attractiveness for private investment in infrastructure. The best were Chile, Brazil, Colombia and Peru, while the least attractive were Venezuela, Bolivia and the Dominican Republic.

Here are the scores:

Rank Country Score
1 Chile 5.432
2. Brazil 4.403
3. Colombia 4.334
4. Peru 4.235
5. Mexico 4.046
6. Uruguay 4.027
7. El Salvador 3.978
8. Guatemala 3.649
9. Argentina 3.4110
10. Venezuela 3.3711
11. Bolivia 3.3412
12. Dominican Republic 3.33

The factors measured by the score macroeconomic environment, legal framework, political risk, past track record on private investment, financial markets and relationship between government and society.


In other news about Chile, China surpassed the U.S. in the first quarter of the year as the number one overall export destination for all Chilean exports. Hot demand for copper and last year's free trade agreement helped fuel the growth in China shipments.