National Retail Report - Aug. 22

From the USDA's National Retail Report from Aug. 22

NOTE: Due to the National Market News conference, this report is abbreviated. This report includes ads available through today. Fourteen websites accounting for approximately 1900 individual stores were not included in the data for the report this week.

In general this week, most ads continued to focus on back-to-school ads. Among the most widely featured were cereals and other breakfast items, items easily packed in lunches, and snack foods. In addition, many retailers were beginning to promote Labor Day celebrations with typical barbeque and picnic items.

The top 5 featured fresh produce items this week were grapes, plums, peaches, nectarines, and cantaloupes.

Fruits as Percentage of Total Fruit Ads August 21, 2008
Bananas 0%
Avocadoes,hass 3%
Apples, red delicious 0%
Bananas, organic 0%
Watermelon, seedless 2%
Watermelon, mini 2%
Cantaloupe 9%
Honeydew 3%
Grapefruit, red 0%
Grapes, green/red 17%
Clementines 0%
Cherries 2%
Strawberries, organic 2%
Strawberries 5%
Plums 15%
Pineapple 1%
Limes 1%
Lemons 0%
Oranges, navel 2%
Peaches 13%
Pears, bartlett 7%
Mangoes 4%
Nectarines 11%

Vegetables as Percentage of Total Vegetable Ads - August 21, 2008
Broccoli 3%
Beans, round green 7%
Tomatoes on the vine 10%
Tomatoes 6%
Cabbage 3%
Carrots, baby organic 2%
Carrots, baby 8%
Asparagus 1%
Tomatoes, grape organic 1%
Tomatoes, grape 3%
Celery 4%
Corn 6%
Cucumbers 5%
Lettuce, iceberg 3%

Lettuce, romaine2%
Mushrooms, white 7%
Onions, yellow 2%
Sweet Potatoes 1%
Squash, zucchini 8%
Potatoes, russet 3%
Peppers, bell red 2%
Peppers, bell green 8%
Onions, sweet 5%

U.S. Apple Marketing Conference - Slideshow

FDA on irradiation

Here is the official Aug. 21 announcement from the FDA on irradiation for spinach and lettuce:

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a final rule today amending the food additive regulations to provide for the safe use of ionizing radiation for the control of foodborne pathogens and extension of shelf-life in fresh iceberg lettuce and fresh spinach. FDA has determined that this use of ionizing radiation will not adversely affect the safety of the food.

This final rule is a partial response to a food additive petition (FAP 9M4697) that had been filed by The National Food Processors Association (now the Grocery Manufacturers' Association) on behalf of The Food Irradiation Coalition. In 2007, the petitioner requested a response to a part of the original scope of the petition while the remainder would remain under review. Specifically, the petitioner requested a response to amend the food additive regulations to provide for the safe use of ionizing radiation for the control of food-borne pathogens and extension of shelf-life in fresh iceberg lettuce and fresh spinach up to a maximum absorbed dose of 4.0 kilogray (kGy).

This final rule will permit the irradiation of fresh iceberg lettuce and fresh spinach to a maximum absorbed dose of 4.0 kGy, which is effective in reducing microbial pathogens that have been associated with these crops in the past.

There will be a 30-day period for submitting objections or a request for a hearing to Docket No. FDA-1999-F-2405] (formerly 1999F-5522). Electronic objections may be submitted to the Federal eRulemaking Portal athttp://www.regulations.gov [ http://www.regulations.gov/ ] or written submissions may be sent to the Dockets Management Branch (HFA-305), Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061, Rockville, MD 20852.

Additional information regarding the final rule is available by contacting Dr. Lane A. Highbarger, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (HFS-255), Food and Drug Administration, 5100 Paint Branch Pkwy., College Park, MD 20740, 301-436-1204.

________________________________________________________________________

Questions and Answers about Final Rule on Irradiation of Fresh Iceberg Lettuce and Fresh Spinach [http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/irradlet.html ] August 21, 2008

Apple show update

Posting here again from Chicago, where last night I had the honor of presenting the 2008 Apple Man of the Year Award to George Lamont of New York. George certainly won the praise of many in the industry for his relentless and tireless work on behalf of apple growers, including his lead role in the Premier Apple Cooperative. Check out Andy Nelson's coverage on The Packer's Web site.

Also yesterday, Steve Lutz had an insightful presentation on U.S. apple retail sales performance and Desmond O'Rourke reviewed the effect of the slowing economy on apple sales. The production outlook for China and Europe were presented yesterday, and this morning is the U.S. regional crop overview, discussions of sustainability, consumer motivation and more.

Amish paradise ?

I recently received an email from a source who said one of the big questions about the USDA's Good Agricultural Practices audit is this: Should the use of horse drawn wagons by the Amish in their fields during harvest prevent those growers from passing a USDA Good Agricultural Practices audit? Apparently, as of now, the USDA has determined that such a practice wouldn't stop the farm passing a GAP audit. We'll try to get some clarification from the agency next week when I get back to the office. The issue is relevant one, given the rising importance of local sourcing by larger buyers. Here is some recent coverage from the Associated Press about local/homegrown produce and how that meshes with demand from big time buyers. From the story:

At the wholesale produce market in this Mennonite community, farming families arrive by horse and buggy and pallets are stacked high with freshly harvested Shenandoah Valley onions, corn, green peppers and squash.

The setting evokes a simpler, pre-industrial era. In reality, small-scale farmers are experiencing growing pains as they adapt to the country's expanding diet for locally grown foods and the exacting demands of high-volume distributors of their produce.

Companies such as Sysco Corp., Whole Foods Market Inc. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. want guaranteed volumes, set prices for an entire season and the ability to trace produce back to its source in the event of a food-related health scare, among other things.

However, such standards, and other formal trappings of the business world — contracts, attorneys, technology — often conflict with the ethics, and practical considerations, of small-scale farmers, especially those who are deeply religious.

"They feel they are producing something as safe and secure as their relationship with the Lord," said David Watson of the Association of Family Farms.

Moreover, growers in temperate climates don't have a 12-month supply of produce. "Trying to match what the buyers need with what's being planted" is one of the biggest challenges, said Richard Rohrer, a Mennonite farmer and manager of the Shenandoah Valley Produce Auction.

When one large buyer recently demanded insurance — which is needed in case a fruit or vegetable makes someone ill — the Dayton farmers balked.

"We deal more on the handshake, personal commitment — look the grower in the eye," said farmer Vernon Hoover, the Dayton auction's independent buyer.

Still, Amish and Mennonite and even non-religious small-scale growers in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Iowa, Tennessee, New York and other states are mindful of the money to be made from this emerging relationship with big distributors. And they are willing to engage in some horse trading to create business relationships.

For example, they want industry demands such as specialty boxes and company labels to be factored into their price, according to Rich Pirog, associate director of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University. And while wholesale markets, or auctions, benefit the food industry by bringing together larger numbers of growers in one location, they also make it easier for smaller growers to make connections to representatives of big companies and their resources, including refrigerated trucks and bar-code labels.

"If you have a quality product, consistently packaged, don't top dress by taking the worst and putting it on the bottom — all that is the way you build your name here at the auction," Charlie Martin, the Dayton auction's board chairman, said. He proudly stood before a large stack of unblemished yellow and green squash that his 16-year-old daughter picked that morning, wearing surgical gloves to avoid marring their flesh.

The demand for what small-scale farmers have to offer is burgeoning.

_ Wal-Mart last month said it would sell $400 million worth of locally grown produce this year, making it the largest player in that market. Its suppliers include "many Amish and Mennonite growers" who work through third party suppliers, spokeswoman Deisha Galberth said.

Marler lawsuit

TK: I received this email recently from food safety lawyer Bill Marler, who commented on a recent post about peppers and also brought news of a lawsuit related to a foodborne illness outbreak in the Northwest. The salmonella investigation the FDA has been running related to peppers and tomatoes arguably took some spotlight and investigative resources from E. coli outbreak in the Northwest. Now this from Marler:



Thanks for noticing my Pepper Post. Here is something you might be interested in too:

Student sickened by E. coli-Tainted Lettuce files Suit

A victim of the June 2008 lettuce E. coli outbreak in Thurston and Pierce counties filed suit today in the Superior Court of Washington, King County. Heather Whybrew of Federal Way, Washington was a student at Pacific Lutheran University in Parkland when she was infected with E. coli O157:H7. The lawsuit was filed against Northwest Fruit and Produce Inc and “John Does,” Growers, Shippers and Suppliers by attorney William Marler and Marler Clark, a Seattle law firm dedicated to representing victims of foodborne illness.

Ten people were sickened in the outbreak, which was traced to bagged, commercial romaine lettuce manufactured and distributed by Northwest Produce to food service locations including Pacific Lutheran University (PLU). Ms. Whybrew fell ill on May 16, after taking all of her meals at PLU. She experienced cramping, nausea, and diarrhea, which became bloody the next day. In extreme pain, she went to the school health center, and was told to go to the emergency room. She was admitted to the hospital in Federal Way, Washington where she tested positive for E. coli O157:H7. Ms. Whybrew battled the E. coli infection over the next week, developing pneumonia as well as blood clots in her extremities and IV insertion sites, for which she required Heparin, a blood thinner. When kidney irregularities emerged, she was transferred to Children’s Hospital in Seattle, where she remained until June 6. She was hospitalized for 20 days. She continues to recover from the infection and its complications—she must give herself two Heparin shots daily in the abdomen to keep blood clots at bay.

“Leafy greens from California are the sleeping giant,” said Whybrew’s attorney William Marler. Once E. coli O157:H7 gets on—or into—the product, it is almost impossible to wash off. A tiny number of bacteria can sicken or even kill. Positive changes were made after the terrible spinach E coli O157:H7 outbreak in 2006, but this outbreak and others indicate that there are still problems in the system. Salinas, California is again suspected as being the source of the lettuce that sickened Heather and nine others, and that is where regulation is the tightest. There’s clearly a great deal of work still to do.”

“I have a very high tolerance for pain,” said Ms. Whybrew in a statement. “I have experienced sports injuries, undergone reconstructive surgery, and have had a crainiotomy to remove a brain tumor. I have had chemo and a difficult rehab from partial paralysis—but I have never experienced anything like the pain from E. coli O157:H7 infection.”

E. coli O157:H7 is often contracted by consuming food or beverage that has been contaminated by animal (especially cattle) manure. The majority of food borne E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks has been traced to contaminated ground beef; however leafy vegetables that have been contaminated in fields or during processing have been increasingly identified as the source of outbreaks.

William D. Marler, Esq.
Marler Clark LLP PS
Seattle, Washington 98104