Comice pears - earlier than usual

From a news release from Oregon State University:

CENTRAL POINT, Ore. – Consumers could be able to bite into fresh, sweet Comice and Bosc pears earlier than usual if pear handlers implement new ripening techniques tested by a researcher at Oregon State University.
Horticulturalist David Sugar has found that by briefly storing Comice pears at cool temperatures and applying ethylene gas to them, they could land in supermarkets by early September instead of the usual early October. With an even simpler version of that ripening treatment, Bosc pears could also be in shoppers' carts in early September instead of two weeks later, Sugar added.

"For consumers, under ideal conditions, this means that at their Labor Day picnics, they could be eating fruit salads made with flavorful Bosc and juicy, buttery Comice pears," said Sugar, who conducted the research in the orchard and lab at OSU's Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center in Central Point.
“For producers, this would extend their marketing season and hopefully allow them to bring in more revenue,” he added.
Sugar said he focused on Comice and Bosc varieties because they make up the majority of the pears grown in southern Oregon's Rogue Valley. The valley is home to retailer Harry & David, which has built its business on selling gift baskets of mouthwatering, crème de la crème Comice pears marketed under the name Royal Riviera.
Pears, which are Oregon's state fruit, are finicky when it comes to ripening. They can get gritty when they ripen on the tree, so the custom has been to pick them when they're mature, then coax them into ripening through chilling and, in the case of Anjou pears, exposure to ethylene gas. With Comice pears, the traditional approach has been to pick them once they reach a specified firmness that tells the grower that the pears are mature. Then they're stored for at least 30 days at 31 degrees, and no ethylene gas is used.
Bosc pears, characterized by brown skin and firmer flesh, also are stored at 31 degrees, but only for roughly 15 days. They are not exposed to ethylene gas either. During this period both varieties develop the capacity to internally make ethylene gas, the hormone that fruits and vegetables produce to stimulate their own ripening. Pears don't produce it unless they're chilled after harvest or exposed to an external source of ethylene. Once they've developed the capacity to produce their own ethylene, Comice and Bosc pears need five to seven days at room temperature to fully ripen.
After two years of experiments, Sugar has developed new procedures to accelerate the ripening process with the help of ethylene gas. In his tests, he picked Comice pears after they reached the accepted firmness on the tree and put them in a room with ethylene gas for two days. Next, he stored them at 50 degrees and found that they needed only two days at that temperature to develop the capacity to ripen. They still needed the customary five to seven days at room temperature after that to actually ripen.
The bottom line: Comice pears don't need to be held in storage for a month before being shipped to grocery stores; only four days.
Sugar tested several other temperatures and periods of exposure to ethylene gas to create different ripening scenarios for Comice pears. None accelerated the ripening process as fast. For example, when the pears were exposed to one day of ethylene gas, then stored at 31 degrees, they needed 17 days at that temperature to develop the capacity to ripen.
Bosc pears behaved differently. He found that they didn't need to be placed in cold storage; they only needed to be exposed to ethylene gas for one day to develop the capacity to ripen.
In addition to studying how to get pears to market sooner, Sugar has been looking at how to keep Comice pears on the market longer. He tested a clear, plastic bag called LifeSpan that extends the storage life of pears by allowing them to absorb the oxygen and increase the carbon dioxide around them. Developed by an Australian company, the bags can add one to two weeks to the life of Comice pears while still maintaining high quality, Sugar said.
The bags are a low-cost option for packing houses, which line shipping boxes with them and then seal the bags. Traditionally, some packing houses have built airtight, controlled-atmosphere rooms and purchased machinery to generate a low-oxygen atmosphere to store pears. "But this bag has been widely adopted for a poor man's controlled atmosphere because you don't have to have an infrastructure, just a bag," Sugar said.
By using the bags and Sugar's new postharvest ripening method, Comice pears grown in the Northern Hemisphere could be on the market for up to six months instead of four to five months, he said. If packing houses in the Southern Hemisphere do the same, Comice pears would be available all year, he said, instead of being unavailable from February to early March and August to late September.

Mango demand growing

Here is the link to today's USDA ERS Fruit and Tree Nut Outlook report. From the report, about mangoes:

The demand for mangoes in the United States continues to grow. Thanks to industry marketing programs, there is greater awareness now for this tropical fruit than 20 years back when U.S. consumers ate only an estimated a half a pound of mango per person each year. Now, annual per capita consumption is estimated at over two pounds per person, with heavy reliance on foreign imports (fig. 6). While more traditional American consumers are beginning to know this fruit, the growing immigrant populations from Latin America and Asia remain the foundation for the growth in demand for mangoes in the U.S. market. Nearly all the mangoes we buy here come from Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Guatemala, and Haiti (table 8). Mango imports in the United States continue to follow an upward path, increasing an average of 4 percent annually since 2000. In 2007, imports set a new record high at 651 million pounds, although the annual import growth was a bit sluggish at only about 1 percent. With the exception of Peru, imports last year rose from most of the leading suppliers. The most notable increase, however, was from India—a long-time leader in world mango production but for many years has been banned from sending mangoes to the United States due to phytosanitary reasons. Shipments from India in 2007 rose from 44,525 pounds the previous year to 396,413 pounds. Shipments from Mexico, which account for the bulk of U.S. imports, only rose 2 percent last year compared with a 14-percent increase in 2006. Shipments from Ecuador remained relatively unchanged from the previous year while declines were reported from Peru (down 13 percent) and Haiti (down (18 percent). Poor weather hampered supplies from South America whereas phytosanitary issues held back imports from Haiti. Imports of Haitian mangoes into the United States were blocked beginning in July 2007 after fruit flies were discovered in shipments back in late June. Pending results of USDA’s review of Haiti’s treatment and packaging procedures for mango exports, certification of all of the country’s mango exporting companies will remain suspended and no imports from that country will be allowed into the United States. As of first-quarter 2008, mango imports totaled 157 million pounds, up 43 percent from the same time last year, driving down mango prices. Import volume through March 2008 was up from all supplying nations. This is in contrast to last year’s first quarter when weather-reduced supplies in important mango exporting countries
in South America and harvest delays in Mexico’s early-season crop created a tight market which led to very strong early-season prices. More than half of first-quarter 2008 imports were from Peru, whose shipments were 54 percent higher than during the same time last year. Supplies from Mexico—the United States’ primary supplier of mangoes—increased 24 percent. A good growing season for Mexico’s 2008 mango crop is anticipated to provide large, good quality supplies of the fruit that will make its way here at more affordable prices relative to last year. As the summer approaches, Mexican supplies arriving in the United States are
increasing as other production regions of the country get their harvest underway. Mexico offers several varieties of mangoes that come in season in different times throughout the year. In general, though, supplies from Mexico are expected to reach peak levels for the season around June and July. Around late-March, f.o.b. shipping-point prices for Mexican Ataulfo mangoes crossing through Texas ranged from $5.00-$6.50 per 1-layer carton (12s), compared with $7.00 per carton the same time last year. Around the same time, prices for Mexican Haden and Tommy Atkins ranged from $2.75-$3.50 per 1 layer carton (12s), compared with $5.00- $7.00 per carton last year. By mid-May, f.o.b. prices for Mexican Ataulfo mangoes have remained below last year and have come down from earlier in the year, ranging from $3.50-$4.00 per 1-layer carton (12s). At the retail end, U.S. consumers in April and May were paying an average of $0.94 for a mango fruit, down from over $1.00 earlier in the year, based on the new retail price series reported by AMS beginning in October 2007.

Voluntary recall announced

Just sliding across my inbox, from the FDA:

FDA posts press releases and other notices of recalls and market withdrawals from the firms involved as a service to consumers, the media, and other interested parties. FDA does not endorse either the product or the company.

Supreme Cuts Announces Voluntary Recall of Small Sample of Off The Cob Fresh Kernel Corn

Contact:
Lucy Rosen
(516) 222-0236

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- Mahwah, NJ, May 27, 2008 – As a precautionary measure, Supreme Cuts LLC has announced that it is voluntarily recalling 87 cases of Off the Cob Fresh Kernel Corn in 12 oz bags. The product may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail and elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may experience only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths in pregnant women.
The recalled product comes in a 12 oz clear plastic bag marked with a "best if used by" date of May 26, 2008 and lot # 5343. Off the Cob Fresh Kernel Corn with other lot numbers and "best if used by" dates are not affected. Package instructions call for cooking this raw corn product. While thorough cooking would be an effective control of Listeria monocytogenes contamination, consumers are urged to dispose of the product to avoid risks of undercooking or contamination of other foods. Other Supreme Cuts products also are not affected.
The recalled product was distributed to a small number of stores in New Jersey and Massachusetts.No illnesses have been reported to date. All retail outlets carrying the product have been notified, and the bags affected by the recall are believed to have been removed from store shelves.
The potential for contamination was discovered when the company, during its standard company testing procedures, found a sample containing a very small amount of Listeria monocytogenes. [Production of Off the Cob Fresh Cut Corn has been suspended while Supreme Cuts investigates the source of the problem.
No other products from Supreme Cuts are involved in the recall. Supreme Cuts packages each of its products on separate production lines, so no other products are affected. Supreme Cuts is committed to rigorous product testing and food safety, and has a strong history as a premier processor and distributor of high quality pre-cut vegetables.
Any consumers who may still have "Off the Cob" with a "best if used by" date of May 26 should dispose of the product.
Consumers with questions can contact Lucy Rosen at 516-222-0236.

Outlook for U.S. Agricultural Trade: Still bullish

Fed by a weak dollar, U.S. agricultural exports continue to set records. Here is the May 29 report on the outlook for U.S. agricultural trade. From the summary:


Fiscal 2008 agricultural exports are forecast at $108.5 billion, up $7.5 billion from February’s forecast and $26.6 billion above 2007. Grains and animal products account for two-thirds of the revision, with increases for all other groups except cotton. Higher unit values for wheat, feed grains, and rice plus a 2-million ton increase for corn and other feeds raise grain and feeds $2.6 billion. Animal products are raised $2.5 billion, with nearly half the increase is due to dairy products as unit values remain high and volumes increase. Oilseeds and products rise about $1.8 billion. Slower-than-expected South American exports have extended the season for U.S. soybean shipments longer than expected. Horticultural products account for $800 million of the increase aided by ample supplies, strong demand, and a weak dollar.

Fiscal 2008 agricultural imports are forecast at a record $78.5 billion, up $2 billion from February and $8.5 billion above 2007. Oilseeds, grains and products account for almost half the year over year increase, boosted by higher unit values and volumes. Grain and feed values are forecast up $700 million from February. Horticultural product imports are forecast to fall slightly from February, as a result of lower imports of fresh fruits and vegetables. Nevertheless, horticultural products are still $2.4 billion above 2007. Sugar and tropical products, including coffee, cocoa, and rubber, are forecast up $500 million from February, with coffee accounting for most of the increase due to higher unit values.

TK: The overall balance of agricultural trade is forecast at a $30 billion surplus for fiscal year 2008, up from just $4.6 billion in the black in 2006. Here are some big picture numbers on the fruit and vegetable trade:

* Combined fresh fruit and vegetable exports are forecast at $5.3 billion in fiscal 2008, up from $4.77 billion in fiscal year 2007.
* Fresh vegetable imports are projected at $4.4 billion in fiscal year 2008, up from $4.165 billion in fiscal 2007.
* Fresh fruit imports for fiscal year 2008 are projected at $5.6 billion, compared with $5.4 billion in fiscal year 2007.

Wal-Mart pushes back on food costs - goes local

I had an email into Wal-Mart about the question of fuel costs and local buying. Here is a link from CNN that speaks to the retailer's efforts in buying local to squash costs, among other strategies. From the story:

Go locovore. Wal-Mart has been going green, but not entirely for the reasons you might think. By sourcing more produce locally - it now sells Wisconsin-grown yellow corn in 56 stores in or near Wisconsin - it is able to cut shipping costs. "We are looking at how to reduce the number of miles our suppliers' trucks travel," says Kohn. Marc Turner, whose Bushwick Potato Co. supplies Wal-Mart stores in the Northeast, says the cost of shipping one truck of spuds from his farm in Maine to local Wal-Mart stores costs less than $1,000, compared with several thousand dollars for a big rig from Idaho. Last year his shipments to Wal-Mart grew 13%.

In fact, it's the small suppliers that are feeling the pain from Wal-Mart's pushback the most. Bushwick has seen its costs rise 10% over the past year, but has passed only half that amount on to Wal-Mart and its other retailers. For consumers who are having a hard time paying $3.80 for a gallon of milk, however, without those measures that sticker shock would be a lot worse.

GAO Report - Port Security

Here is the link to the May 27 GAO report titled "U.S. Customs and Border Protection Has Enhanced Its Partnership with Import Trade Sectors, but Challenges Remain in Verifying Security Practices"

From the GAO Highlights page:

Why GAO Did This Study
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is responsible for ensuring the security of cargo containers shipped into the United States. To strike a balance between security and commerce, CBP oversees the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, or C-TPAT program. As part of this program, CBP aims to secure the supply chain—the flow of goods from manufacturers to retailers—through partnerships with international trade companies. Member companies agree to allow CBP to validate their security practices and, in exchange, they are awarded benefits, such as reduced scrutiny of their cargo. In 2005, GAO reviewed the C-TPAT program and noted operational challenges. For this report, GAO was asked to assess the progress CBP has made since 2005 in (1) improving its benefit award policies for C-TPAT members, (2) addressing challenges in validating members’ security practices, and (3) addressing management and staffing challenges. To perform this work, GAO analyzed a nonprobability sample of completed validations; reviewed annual, human capital, and strategic plans; and held discussions with CBP officials.

What GAO Recommends
GAO is recommending that CBP improve its electronic validation instrument, improve the validation process, enhance its records management system, and establish performance measures for improving supply chain security. CBP concurred with each of the recommendations.