Primo

 Lettuce: 

Lettuce markets are steady. Weights on this item have varied from 35 to 43 pounds, with occasional puffiness and outer leaf discoloration. Quality is good. 

Leaf: 

Romaine markets are steady. Light fringe and tip burn are some common defects reported. Quality is fair to good. 

Romaine Heart markets are steady. Quality is fair to good. 

Green and Red Leaf markets are steady. Light fringe and tip burn are some common defects reported. Quality is fair to good. 

Lettuce Tender Leaf: 

The heat over the last few weeks has affected Parsley, Cilantro, Arugula, Spring Mix, Arcadian, and Spinach. Yellow/brown/black leaves may appear at receiving due to heat-related quality issues. Quality is poor to fair. 

Broccoli: 

Markets are steady. Broccoli supplies continue to be steady in Santa Maria, Mexico, and Salinas. Quality is fair to good. 

Cauliflower: 

Markets are steady. There is a steady supply of cauliflower in Salinas, Mexico, and Santa Maria. Quality is good. 

Carrots: 

Cello markets are steady out West. Quality is good. 

Loose market is steady. Quality is good. 

Value-add Snack Carrots are steady. Quality is good. 

Celery: 

Markets are still active. Fusarium has been found in a few fields in Salinas. As a result, supplies in the Salinas valley have tightened. Quality is fair. 

Strawberries & Bush Berries: 

Strawberry markets are steady, but tight. Salinas and Watsonville are moving past the big numbers that were produced last week. Quality is fair. 

Raspberry markets are steady, but tight. Plants have not reacted well to the heat, rain, and humidity produced by Hurricane Hilary on the Central California Coast. Baja numbers are down. Quality is fair to good. 

Blueberries markets are going up. We are in a gap period and markets are in a demand-exceeds-supply situation. PNW is drawing to a close, with Michigan ending abruptly last week. Peruvian and Argentine imports have been arriving sporadically. We should see better numbers in the next 2 weeks from these areas. Production in Mexico will pick up in mid-October. Dover, FL is quoting limited supplies of offshore fruit. Quality is fair to good. 

Blackberries markets are steady, but continues to be very limited in availability. Production in Mexico is expected to pick up over the next two to three weeks, but most shippers will only cover contracts until then. Quality is fair. 

Potatoes: 

Quality is good, just seeing some skin Immaturity from the potatoes not being able to set yet. 

Onions: 

The onion market is stable. Overall quality is good. 

Cucumbers: 

Cucumber market is steady. Quality is good. 

Euro cucumbers markets have significantly increased. Quality is good. 

Peppers: 

Green bells market is steady. Quality is good. 

Red Pepper markets are very active. Quality is fair. 

Herbs: 

Basil: We are still seeing minor quality issues. Overall, quality is fair to good. 

Citrus: 

Orange markets continue to be strong as school demand is in full effect. Through the remainder of the Valencia season, 113ct and 138ct prices will remain elevated. The peak sizes are 72ct and 88ct. The hot temperatures in the Central Valley will soon cause fruit to re-green (a normal occurrence at this time of year). It is purely cosmetic and does not affect the flavor of the fruit. Domestic Navels are expected to start up mid/late October. Other quality issues in play are softer fruit/pack pressure & stem-end aging due to increased temperatures in the growing region. Quality is fair to good. 

Lemon markets are still up and extremely tight out West. District 2 is nearing the end of its season, and markets remain elevated across the board. Lemons are tight across the board and will remain so until District 3 gets going. District 3 (California desert/Arizona) is scheduled to start shipping late-September/early-October. Import Lemons are gapping until Mexico starts in the next two weeks. Quality is fair to good. 

Lime Not much has changed from last week. Weather continues to be in the low to mid 90’s with humidity over 60% every day. Rain chances are low this week until Friday when it returns to 60%+ daily. The continued heat and humidity is still having negative effects on quality with stylar, skin breakdown, and oil spotting being the three biggest issues. We are also seeing some lighter colored fruit from all the overcast days and rainy days over the last month. These issues continue to cause lower amounts of fruit crossing into the US, and even lower amount of good quality fruit that is able to be shipped due to the need to repack and regrade once the fruit arrives to the US. Mexican Independence Day is this September 16th (Saturday), so we are anticipating growers to be shutting down Friday, and not harvesting over the weekend. This will cause a reduction in supplies to start next week. Depending on how demand is next week, this could push pricing up a little more. 

Grapes: 

The grape market continues to advance in price as the industry deals with the sudden crop loss from the storm. This market will most likely remain high and tight for the balance of the domestic season 

Tomatoes: 

Markets are still coming down on Grape tomatoes. There is a light to steady supply of grapes in the eastern states as quality is expected to improve with better weather. Cherry markets are steady, but still tight. Rounds and Romas are still tight as we wait for Canada’s new crop to start next week. Virginia has started on Rounds, Grapes, and Cherries. California production is steady, but quality is fair. 

Cabbage: 

Green Cartons: Markets are steady. Quality is good. 

Red Cartons: Markets are steady. Quality is good. 

Bagged Cabbage: Markets are steady. Quality is good. 

Market Alerts: 

The items listed below are being prorated by Shippers. 

1.) Poblano peppers 

2.) Golden Delicious Apples 

3.) Scallions 4/2lb 

4.) Granny Smith Apples 88ct and 100ct 

5.) White B Potatoes 

6.) Broccolini 18ct & 3/2lb 

7.) Lemons 140ct, 165ct, & 200ct 

8.) B&W arugula