Lime and avocado medley

The lime and the avocado markets have moved in opposite directions in recent days. The market on hass is backing down somewhat, while the hurricane in Mexico has supported the lime f.o.b.

Thai time

I think I will eat at a Thai restaurant next week. In fact, Thai restaurants will be my only option.

I'm headed to Thailand for an AsiaFruit Congress, leaving Monday and returning Saturday. I expect I will be able to post on the blog from Bangkok, if the Internet connection at the Amari Atrium Hotel is in fine working order.

One of the stories I started following this week was the Defense Supply Center in Philadelphia and their process of privatizing the Department of Defense Fresh Program that supplies fresh produce to schools and military foodservice facilities. As I understand the process, they are shutting down government field buying offices for produce (with about 11 remaining right now) and are in the early stages of awarding more than 40 long term contracts to produce distributors throughout the country.

Already a year after the bids were received by the Department of Defense, the vast majority of long term contracts have yet to be awarded. I noted there was some frustration with the pace of the privatization process when I talked to one distributor this week and I wonder if others feel the same way; shoot me any thoughts with a comment here, on the discussion board or at tkarst@thepacker.com.

This week in spinach

Spinach and food safety headlines 8/31

As the voluntary recall of spinach grabs the headlines, less press seems to be directed at the recent actual E. coli outbreak linked to meat in the Northwest. Is the press more keenly tuned to produce safety than the safety of beef? Is there a tacit acceptance of periodic outbreaks of E. coli linked to meat as opposed to incidents and recalls tied to produce? One thing is certain, spinach and food safety are in the news cycle and it will be darn hard to get them out. By the way, thanks to the Food Safety Network at K-State for these links.

Dole Food takes new steps to head off more E.coli From Reuters;
Dole Food Company, a top U.S. food and fruit producer, has stepped up testing and tracking of produce to prevent outbreaks of E.coli like the one that sickened hundreds last fall, the firm said on Thursday.
Eric Schwartz, Dole's president for worldwide vegetables, told Reuters in an interview the company is testing samples from every acre of spinach and other vegetables that will be marketed under the Dole label. If a harmful bacterium or other problem is detected, plants from that area will not enter the processing chain.

INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP ON IMPORT SAFETY TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETING From USDA:
The Interagency Working Group on Import Safety is announcing a public meeting to explore actions that public and private stakeholders can take to promote the safety of products imported into the United States.
The public meeting will be held from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 1, 2007, in the Jefferson Auditorium, South Building, U.S. Department of AgrFRiculture, 1400 Independence Ave., SW., Washington, D.C. 20250.

Spinach Recall Sparks Oversight Calls From the AP
Consumer advocates and some lawmakers say that a Salinas Valley company's recall of spinach because of a salmonella scare shows that the federal government must do more to protect the nation's food supply, but industry officials call it proof that their voluntary regulations are working.
Metz Fresh, a King City-based grower and shipper, recalled 8,000 cartons of fresh spinach Wednesday after salmonella was found during a routine test of spinach it was processing for shipment. More than 90 percent of the possibly contaminated cartons never reached stores, company spokesman Greg Larson said.


Alberta farmers' market produce under scrutiny From CBC
In an unusual move, Alberta health inspectors are buying fruits and vegetables at farmers' markets in the Calgary and Edmonton areas to test its safety.
The produce will be examined for parasites and bacteria that cause diseases such as E. coli and salmonella, says Sandra Honour, who is with the food safety division of the Agriculture Department.
"There is not common testing done on Canadian-produced food, by the province, to be able to feed back directly to producers on how good they are and how they could improve their practices," Honour told CBC News.
"This is designed to both give us a baseline so that we can let consumers know how safe Alberta-produced food is as well as the producers can have information as to which practices provide them the best opportunity to ensure their product is safe."