Commodity Updates
Keep up-to-date on how weather and other conditions across the country and the globe affect the quality, availability, and pricing of your fresh fruits and produce.

Broccoli. The market is steady on bunched and crowns. Pricing is competitive. Quality is good.

White Grapes. Recent high temperatures have stalled maturity on the vine. Cool temperatures in growing regions this week should improve the situation. Quality is being reported as good; and should be excellent as the grapes sugar up.

Red Grapes. As harvest volumes increase this market is expected to soften. Quality is being reported as excellent.

Raspberries. Very limited availability. The California crop is gapping in supply; we may not see large increases until mid-August.

Strawberries. Warm weather and humidity is affecting quality, industry-wide. Warm weather has brought on ripe red fruit which increases the amount of bruises and soft spots when being picked and packed. The heat has also colored up the fruit before it could reach mature sizing so berries will be smaller. Heat and humidity have also lead to an increase in the presence of mildew. The cold-chain must be managed to avoid mold.

Pears. California has started packing Bartlett pears.

Lemons. Demand exceeds supply due to summertime demand and lighter production as a result of the drought in California. Expect lighter supplies though the summer and into the fall.

Avocados. California has pasted its peak season and lower volumes are being harvested. Volumes are expected to dip more, hold steady through July, and gently decline after July. Quality and flavor are excellent. Mexican production dipped last week due to rains in growing areas. Their old crop is winding down.