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LETTUCE - ICEBERG 
Transition to the desert production areas will take another step south, as Huron lettuce acreage winds down this week and our desert acreage in Yuma starts Wednesday the 10th. Weight and condition out of Huron although improved, is still variable. Early reports from Yuma indicate generally smaller head size. We anticipate the head size to improve as we get into 2nd and 3rd fields. Above normal temperatures we seen early this week are dropping to seasonal norms over the weekend, with a slight chance of rain over the weekend. As always, keep in contact with your Coastline rep for updates as conditions change quickly this time of year!
Fallacies Limiting Produce Growth!
U.S. consumers may understand that fruits and vegetables are good for them, but the produce industry is allowing several misconceptions to fester in the media and in the public consciousness, and it's holding back industry growth.
This argument was one of the key themes of Produce Marketing Association President and Chief Executive Officer Bryan Silbermann's state of the industry presentation here at the annual PMA Fresh Summit convention and expo.
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ROMAINE 
Reports show it was on the slow side to start the week off on both cartons and hearts. By mid- week the demand started to pick up and the markets started to react with an upward tone. The market will end up in the mid to low "teens" with some shippers reporting sold out for the weekend on cartons. The quality is getting better but some shippers are still reporting some light mildew and light wind burn but overall the quality is much better than it has been on both cartons and hearts. We will continue to harvest all leaf in the Salinas area next week. Our next stop will be the Yuma/Brawley area on leaf. The early crops are looking good and the crops will be ready to harvest in the desert right around the third week of November but we will keep you posted.
Fallacies Limiting Produce Growth!
"In spite of all the social trends going our way, overall consumption of produce shows few signs of growth," Silbermann said. "To be sure, some categories within our sector have seen big gains, but overall we have a long way to go. Consumers are still not eating enough fresh fruits and vegetables, and many give safety and cost as main concerns." |
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BROCCOLI
Weather conditions past and present have been and will continue to bring challenges where broccoli is concerned. Rain that fell in the Salinas Valley last week set us up for a lot of pin rot. If we see the rain that's projected for the weekend we could continue to have pin rot issues into next week. The weather warmed up early this week, but because the nights are longer, ground temperatures have not had time to warm up enough to push broccoli forward. With the cooler night time temps broccoli is moving a little slower as expected for this time of year. Coastline has greater than normal numbers ready to harvest over the next several weeks in order to keep up with demand, but because of the unfavorable variables over the last week, we expect for demand to exceed supply. As we approach the Thanksgiving pull, it's safe to anticipate the bunch market to be trading in the mid teens, and crowns to be trading at close to $20.00, if not higher. With that comes Thanksgiving and expected problems on the front end of the desert broccoli deal. The broccoli market could be tight for 4-6 weeks. 
Coastline Extend Broccoli - call us for more information!
Fallacies Limiting Produce Growth!
Safety concerns, he noted, are not limited to concerns about foodborne illness outbreaks. Concerns about pesticide use are growing as well. Consumer Reports' "dirty dozen" list, which warned shoppers to avoid conventionally grown peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, imported grapes, spinach, lettuce and potatoes due to possible pesticide residues, recently resurfaced on an episode of the popular daytime talk show "Dr. Oz." Silbermann showed his audience a clip from the September episode, and then argued that the produce industry was not doing enough to tell its own side of the story. |
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CAULIFLOWER 
What a week we had on cauliflower! With the exceptionally warm weather we had this week our numbers increased significantly. Our estimates increased by 500 cases per day which kept us on the aggressive end of the mostly market. As we look forward to next week we hope that everything we crammed into the markets gets sold quickly! Next week brings us cool weather and all our "ads" will kick in. With these two factors we hope we can get some momentum in getting our F.O.B's up off the low end of the mostly market call. The forecast of cool weather next week will help slow things down and take the overall pressure off of us. I will be sporadically packing JUMBO cauliflower 12's, so ask your cool Coastline representative if you need some. We will have to wait and see how Monday's demand is before we start crowing about higher prices.... Until then, keep ordering!
Fallacies Limiting Produce Growth!
"I do not mean to attack the media, or Dr. Oz. They are not the enemy here," he said. "This happened because we have been largely silent on who we are and why we do what we do ... The reality is that the misinformation and half truths in the clip you just saw have been around so long, they've become accepted by mainstream media, even by well-meaning medical experts who have a profound influence [on consumers]."
Indeed, PMA recently commissioned a study from the Hartman Group to get a better sense of how concerns about pesticides were impacting produce consumption. It revealed that 29% of consumers say that they do not buy fresh fruits and vegetables because they are worried about pesticide residues. |
Both red and green leaf have remained about steady all week but with the cooler nights and some holiday ads set to start next week we would not be surprised if the market got stronger for next week. Many shippers are still reporting a wide range in quality. Some reports show some mildew and some shippers are still reporting some fringe burn. We are being very selective in the field and you can still expect lighter than normal weights as we get into our fields early to minimize mildew and fringe burn problems. Our crew is so important right now. If you have an experienced crew and they know what to pack they can make a "fair" looking field and make the cartons look nice by their head selection. Conversely you can take an inexperienced crew and put them in a beautiful field but if they just pack everything they see they can make a beautiful field and make it look "fair".
Fallacies Limiting Produce Growth!
"That is up an astonishing 11 points since the spring of 2009," Silbermann said. "This Dirty Dozen list, which has never been scientifically validated - despite our requests - is impacting produce consumption."
The other nagging misconception about fresh produce is its cost. Despite ample evidence to the contrary, many shoppers continue to think that fresh produce is expensive, Silbermann said. |
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CELERY
 We have started to harvest celery in Oxnard this week, but we will still have celery to harvest in Salinas. We will over lap a few weeks although that gives our customers flexibility on where you will be loading. The market opened up in the $9.00 - $10.00 range on most sizes in the Salinas area and around $8.00 in the Oxnard area. There were many deals being done well under the mostly market as shippers try to stay clean before they start to build up inventory for the holiday commitments. Coastline will still have some celery to sell for everyday mixers but we will get tight starting this weekend. We have about another two and a half weeks to go in Salinas but one thing to note is that we started about ten days early in Oxnard because of some rain we got about 6 weeks ago that really pushed up the harvest dates. Continue to stay tuned to our newsletters and we will have some information for next week as to if we will have a gap in celery at some point. Quality has still remained very nice and exportable out of both areas.
Fallacies Limiting Produce Growth!
"It is a myth that has been circulating for years, reported in the media as a fact," he said. "It's even cited as a problem by government and elected officials, including another produce advocate, First Lady Michele Obama. Even the [U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] lists costs as one of the key barriers to increasing produce consumption."
As part of its effort to debunk these claims, PMA commissioned the Perishables Group to analyze the actual retail cost of fruits and vegetables using data from 13,000 stores collected over 52 weeks. The West Dundee, Ill.-based research consultancy found that the average retail price for nine servings of fruits and vegetables was $2.18. And, shoppers looking for the best deals possible without regard to item could actually purchase the least expensive nine servings of fruits and vegetables in a store for 88 cents. |
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GREEN ONIONS
Most green onion shippers are still way ahead of harvesting schedules. They continue to reach for medium and large Green onions to cover contracts, as a result, a surplus of small green onions fill the cold boxes. Smalls have been trading at $2.00 - $3.00 less than the larger sizes! The market slipped slightly towards the end of the week to just below double digits but movement is still fairly strong.
Fallacies Limiting Produce Growth!
Growers, packers and retailers should all be making an effort to dispel these misconceptions, Silbermann said. And, rather than being content with the industry's otherwise wholesome image as healthy food, producers must be more aggressive in their efforts to market and promote produce and make it more convenient and fun for shoppers to consume.
To illustrate a few of the ways that produce companies could achieve these goals, Silbermann separated primary household shoppers into three broad categories: Value Moms, Convenience Moms, and Socially Conscious Moms. |
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MIXED BUNCHING ITEMS 
Parsley began the week in a demand exceeds supply situation but has since slumped off. The market is still descent as most home grown deals are finished. The Cilantro market came to a screeching halt as more and more Mexican and southern California growers are starting production. This surplus of product paired with the steady demand has caused that market to slip as well.
Fallacies Limiting Produce Growth!
For Value Moms especially, retailers and suppliers need to emphasize that fresh produce is a good bargain. PMA has created a new report based on the Perishables Group study that Silbermann encouraged retailers to use in their stores. |
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GREEN BEANS
With no frost in site we will have steady supplies of green beans. Nice and sweet and good to eat, our green beans are making a splash with ads next week. If you need some, get on board early! We will have zero bulk to pack next week. Clipped, trimmed washed and ready to eat... our green beans can't be beat! Buy some!
Fallacies Limiting Produce Growth!
"Think of the educational, marketing and [public relations] value of this information," he said. "Think of the partnerships suppliers can build with retailers, retailers with their customers and the community to get the word out that produce is a great value on any budget."
*Supermarket News - Market Enis |
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An elderly gentleman with serious hearing problems goes to the doctor who fits him with hearing aids that allow him to hear
at 100% for the first time in many years.
The elderly man goes back in a month for a checkup. The doctor
says, "Your hearing is perfect. Your family must be really pleased that you can hear again."
To which the gentleman replies, "Oh, I haven't told my family yet. I just sit around and listen to the conversations. I've changed my will three times!". |
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Sincerely,
Vivian Sotelo Coastline |
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Weather forecast for Salinas, CA for the week of 11/8/2010: Mostly sunny skies at the beginning and middle of the week. Thurs. and Friday will be cloudy with possible showers. Temperature highs will be in the mid 60's with lows in the mid 40's.
Weather forecast for Oxnard, CA for the week of 11/8/2010: Mostly sunny skies all week. Temperature highs will be in the mid 60's with lows in the mid 50's.
Weather forecast for Huron, CA for the week of 11/8/2010: Cloudy at the front part and last part of the week with sunshine on Tues. & Wed. Possible showers toward the end of the week. Temperature highs will be in the high 60's with lows in the low 40's.
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NEW PACKAGING AS FRESH AS THE PRODUCE INSIDE!
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VISIT US IN NEW YORK FOR THE 1ST ANNUAL NEW YORK PRODUCE SHOW!
Contact your Coastline Representative for a VIP Buyer Pass.
Stop by our booth #2014 see what's NEW at Coastline. |
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Featured Product
CELERY
Our Celery is GORGEOUS!
Don't forget to place your orders for the Holiday Pull before it's too late!
Available in COASTLINE & AMERICAN CLASSIC label! |
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