More questions - salmonella outbreak

When will FDA exclude growing regions from the tomato/salmonella foodborne illness outbreak? Apparently, they may not until they can identify precisely where the tainted tomatoes came from.

The industry's growing frustration relates to the fact that the FDA has not yet completed the traceback from product linked to the 86 people sickened in the salmonella outbreak. The question remains - is the difficulty in traceback linked to a lack of industry progress on traceability systems or problems with science/and a lack of solid information from victims?

Some 30 plus people have been interviewed so far, but the FDA - according to industry sources - doesn't yet have the traceback done, in part because they still apparently lack bullet proof data on what stores or foodservice outlets were involved. Still, there are hopes the traceback can be finished in days. We will soon see...David Mitchell will have more coverage of this issue tomorrow on The Packer's news site.

Chat - - Pamela Riemenschneider

I have another chat in the books with Pamela Riemenschneider, Packer reporter. She updates her recent work in "Pamela's Kitchen" and "Produce Guru." Pamela also talks about recent travels and an upcoming arrival.....

1:41 PM Thanks Pamela for agreeing to another chat - do you have a little bit of time right now

pwremo: Sure.

1:42 PM me: I understand you have a another interview today for Produce Guru - is that correct?

pwremo: I just wrapped one up about farmers markets.

1:43 PM me: There is quite a bit of interest in farmers markets/homegrown produce ; where was the media from you talked with?

pwremo: Pennsylvania.

1:44 PM me: Are you enjoying your spokesperson role so far? Better than asking questions or not?

1:45 PM pwremo: Actually, it's pretty nerve-wracking. I'm used to being the one in control, I guess. It's hard to make sure that you stay on topic and answer the questions the best way possible for your employer.

I can definitely sympathize with a lot of the people I call.

And, not all reporters are as prepared as I am, if I do say so myself...

1:46 PM me: Well, I' m sure you could give them a few pointers - another industry event this week with the salmonella and tomato issue... What are you working on for The Packer, and what's the latest on Pamela's Kitchen?

1:47 PM pwremo: For The Packer, I'm finishing up our Foodservice Special Report and a retail story about Sunflower Farmers Market coming to my home town -- Austin. I think it's pretty big that the founders of Wild Oats are dropping right in John Mackey's back yard.

1:48 PM For Pamela's Kitchen, I'm trying out those "Green Bags" that say they absorb ethylene from produce and keep it from going bad.

My 1-week trial showed mixed results. It should be pretty interesting.

1:49 PM me: Pamela's laboratory, perhaps. That's pretty ambitious. And I know you attended CPMA - did you enjoy that convention and Calgary?

1:50 PM pwremo: I love CPMA. They have a style all their own north of the border. It's such a fun and intimate show and the bag pipers and singing emcee -- it's perfect! I always try to get to that show and have managed to swindle my way into it every year. Calgary was a beautiful city but didn't have enough Tim Horton's

1:53 PM me: Yes Tim Horton's - the Starbuck/Dunkin Donuts of Canada. I really like CPMA as well...Now your upcoming travel may be limited right - are you looking forward to the "big day"?

1:54 PM pwremo: Of course! My pregnant lady travels so far have been a little crazy -- first to Mexico and then to Canada. I'm looking forward to a little more time at home before Baby Riemenschneider gets here.

The produce industry can be proud of my cravings so far. I've personally kept the citrus industry afloat with my yen for lemons.

1:55 PM me: That will be exciting . Congratulations...Lemons? No ice cream? Well, I know you'll keep us posted. Are you going to be surprised or will you find out boy or girl?

1:56 PM pwremo: Peaches (Texas is in season right now and delicious) Watermelon, Lemons, Oranges, Grapefruit, tomatoes... all of those but not so much on the ice cream.

We're impatient -- so we know it's a boy.

1:58 PM me: We are excited for you - good luck and we will catch up you down the road for another chat. Take care.

pwremo: you, too!

May Agricultural Trade Report

Here are the latest trade statistics in a USDA powerpoint:

Indianapolis Fruit on YouTube

Kudos to Indianapolis Fruit on a well-done video they recently posted to YouTube highlighting their Winning at Retail seminar. From the video's intro:

Indianapolis Fruit Company would like to thank all of the attendees of the seminar as well as express our overwhelming drive to turn your department into a true destination department. We will accomplish this through our tireless pursuit of education, new products and trends, and by offering you, the customer, our many years of experience to accommodate your needs on the path to success.

In Lenexa and in Rome - Biofuels

Agriculture Under Secretary Tom Dorr visited The Packer's offices yesterday, primarily speaking of biofuels and food security. I'll have more on that session with Dorr and Vance Publishing editors in my column and on the blog later, but suffice to say he put up a spirited defense of the ethanol industry and warned about short sighted policy moves that could derail America's efforts to find alternative fuels.

The issue of biofuels impact on food prices and availability is looming large at the UN Food Security Summit in Rome. Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer held a Q and A and I pulled out a couple of questions during the exchange. For one thing, I was shocked to hear Schafer's prediction of a 40% rise in global food prices in the next year; I thought I had been hearing numbers in the single digits, at least in the U.S. From the press conference:

REPORTER: Is it that biofuels is just one of many contributing factors? Could you have any figures for that for them? How many percent is that, is it contributes to the --

SEC. SCHAFER: Yes. We at the United States Department of Agriculture have plotted the long-term trends of price, yield, availability and consumption; and as we've looked at those long-term trends we are anticipating this year an over 40 percent increase in food price inflation globally, 43 percent approximately. Of that, we can identify 2 to 3 percent of that price increase that is driven by biofuels. The majority of course is energy, and the second largest piece, or about equal piece, is the increase in consumption around the world which is using up the production stocks. So we see, the figures that we are looking at show about a 3 percent, or a little under, effort on biofuels to actually drive up the inflation rate of food.

REPORTER: Stephanie Holmes from BBC News Website. You said that you think the biofuels only accounts for 2 to 3 percent of the price increases, but there are lots of estimates from respected think tanks that say it might account for up to a third. Would the U.S. consider a moratorium on biofuels? And also, they are not considered incredibly efficient; corn-based ethanol is not considered efficient as a means of making energy.

SEC. SCHAFER: Well, you know, it's one of the great things about the gathering of many countries at a place like this is to be able to reconcile numbers, to look at differences of opinion, to be able to come to some conclusion about what real numbers are or are not. As we have looked at the numbers, I think it's very clear that biofuels produce about 3 percent or a little under of the global inflation rate of food.

And beyond that, they produce many, many positive aspects. By biofuels, we are reducing the use of the high cost of oil today. It's been estimated that we have, through biofuel production, reduced a million barrels a day of oil and oil record high prices. That makes a lot of difference to a lot of people. Environmentally, they are better. There are things in gasoline, in the aromatics and things, that aren't as good as biofuels; they are better issue. And whether the energy created is more or less, is again a subject of debate. Many studies show that it is not [less energy created], that it is an efficient producer of energy. That as we've increased the fermenting process and increased the yields per acre of corn for instance as a feedstock, we have seen the cost of that energy go down and the efficiency go up.

So I am hoping that we can get together on some of these vast differences of opinion and come to some conclusions as to what's real versus what's emotional or socially driven or governmental driven. But you know, let's look at the numbers and see what we have.

REPORTER: Can I ask you, what's the subsidy the U.S. provides for its corn biofuel each year?

SEC. SCHAFER: We have currently a subsidy of [51] cents per gallon. That is going down now to [45] cents per gallon.

REPORTER: But as a total on an annual basis, how many millions of dollars?

SEC. SCHAFER: Oh, I don't know that number.

REPORTER: ... is that right?

SEC. SCHAFER: I don't know the number. Does anybody? We can get the number. We'll get the number for you. Thank you.

She's asking the total.

Truck Rate Report - June 3

From the USDA's National Truck Rate report from June 3, the summary:

A shortage of trucks was reported for the following commodities and regions: tomatoes, melons and grapes from Nogales, Arizona, grapes from Coachella Valley California, onions from Imperial Valley California, citrus from South District California, and sweet potatoes from Eastern North Carolina. A slight shortage of trucks was reported for the following commodities and regions: peppers, corn and mixed vegetables from Imperial, Palo Verde and Coachella Valleys California and Central and Western Arizona, carrots and potatoes from Kern District California, lettuce, mixed vegetables, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries from Salinas-Watsonville California, plums, peaches, nectarines, apricots and cherries from San Joaquin Valley California, mixed vegetables and strawberries from Santa Maria California, potatoes from Florida, onions from San Antonio-Winter Garden-Laredo District Texas and Vidalia District Georgia. Upper Valley, Twin Falls-Burley District Idaho noted a truck shortage for potatoes to Northeast locations, all other destinations adequate.LAST REPORT was issued for onions from Imperial Valley California, potatoes from Florida, and cabbage from Georgia. All other districts reported an adequate supply of trucks.

Safeway's new Eating Right Kids

From Variety comes news of a new marketing campaign by Safeway and WB. No specific mention of fruits and vegetables, but I'm can't believe they would launch a campaign without f/v in the portfolio. Developing....
From Variety:


Consumer watchdog groups have long criticized Hollywood for allowing its characters to market junk food to children. But the studios may soon start to gain some inroads with critics: In the latest move to appease concerns, Warner Bros.' Looney Tunes empire is gearing up to embrace healthy eating.
The studio has paired with Safeway, the nation's fourth-largest supermarket chain, to promote its Eating Right Kids line of food and beverages, rolling out on store shelves this summer.
As part of the deal, Warner Bros. said it will no longer feature its Looney Tunes characters on unhealthy food packaging, other than certain ice cream products or birthday cakes.
"We've cleared the market of anything that might be considered unhealthy," said Brad Globe, prexy of Warner Bros. Worldwide Consumer Products. "Our Looney Tunes characters are our crown jewels. We said, 'Hey, we need to figure out how we can be part of some kind of solution and use our characters in a positive way that will improve the issues related to childhood obesity.'"
As part of a licensing deal with Warner's consumer products unit, Safeway's Eating Right Kids packaging will exclusively feature such characters as Bugs Bunny, Tweety, Taz, Sylvester, Wile E. Coyote, Roadrunner, Marvin the Martian and Daffy Duck.
Financial terms of the licensing deal were not disclosed.
Overall product line covers more than 100 items across 30 categories including breakfast foods, portable meals, dairy, snacks and beverages. Products are formulated based on the most recent dietary recommendations from several federal and state agencies, including the Dept. of Health and Human Services, the Dept. of Agriculture, Alliance for a Healthier Generation, as well as California's school nutrition guidelines.