"Next week's sunny weather will really kick off Belgian strawberry season"
In Belgium, REO Veiling's strawberries are gradually making their way to market. With next week's sunny forecast, it seems local strawberries will finally appear on store shelves again. There has

Will younger generations catch on to health benefits of cacti?
“Cacti family of products is what we specialize in,” says Mayra Vazquez with Latin Specialties in Houston, Texas. Due to favorable weather, the cactus pear season has started early this year,

Scottish asparagus four weeks earlier than last year
The first asparagus was cut on 21st March this year at Scottish grower Denhead Farms in Coupar Angus. This was a whole 4 weeks earlier than last year. “This was the first year of commercial

Carton Pack reveals Smilesys acquisition
Italian packaging specialist Carton Pack has revealed that it has completed the acquisition of a majority stake in Smilesys. Smilesys was founded in 2013 by CEO Ernesto Zanarella and is focused on

Vegetable Quality Control: Only a few places left at the Fresh Produce Seminar in Berlin
The quality control of vegetables is the focus of the face-to-face training of the Frische Seminar on 10 May 2023 at Fruchthof Berlin. What are the marketing standards for the most important

Wesfarmers sells remaining stake in Coles Group
Ocado: 70% of Brits want to eat seasonal produce following fruit and veg shortages Over two thirds (70%) of Brits want to eat more seasonal produce this year, following recent nationwide fruit and

Could Britain learn from Belgium's auction system?
In some ways, Belgium’s system for buying and selling fruit and vegetables seems a bit old-fashioned. But the recent scrutiny of British retailers’ fixed seasonal contracts for most fresh

Catania-Bologna, comparing vegetable prices
After the short Easter break, the commercial situation in the wholesale markets seems unchanged; sales do not take off and the unstable weather does not help buyers' choices. IFN conducted the

Spain imports 46% of its vegetables and 20% of its fruits from Morocco
According to the DBK Sector Observatory of INFORMA (Cesce subsidiary), in 2022, Spanish fruit and vegetable imports increased by 12.8%, reaching 3,523 million. 20% of the fruits and 46% of the

Consumers drawn to natural packaging of ready-to-drink coconuts
Demand is on the rise for ready-to-drink coconuts thanks in part to an increasing number of retailers carrying them. However, that’s not the only factor driving growth. “The natural packaging

Leveraging sustainability and health messages in marketing can increase fresh produce demand and consumption
Sustainability is the future of the global economy, especially the fresh produce industry, according to the Head of Sustainability at New Zealand Trade and Enterprise. Florence Van Dyke told the

JD.com bolsters Zespri kiwifruit imports, aims to sell over 2 million trays in 2023
JD Fresh, the fresh food division of JD.com, recently welcomed the season’s first sea shipment of Zespri kiwifruits from New Zealand to China, commencing JD’s kiwi promotional season on April

"We're entering the Israeli market with green kiwis"
“Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc., a supplier of fresh fruit, is proud to announce the first successful sale of its Greek-origin kiwis in Israel. This product will be available from November until

The price of imported tomatoes soared 1.5 times in just a week in Ukraine!
Prices for imported greenhouse tomatoes are increasing rapidly before the Easter holidays in Ukraine, EastFruit project analysts inform. The reason for the rise in the price of tomatoes on the

Strawberries, raspberries and other berries, thawed - monitoring of plantations (12.04.2023)
It is now more than a week since there were significant temperature drops and frosts reaching -9oC at times in early April. It would seem that the vegetation has not yet got off to a good start

Almeria reduces watermelon cultivation by 2,500 hectares
Asaja Almería has carried out a study that concludes that there has been a reduction of 2,500 hectares in the area of watermelon cultivation. Greenhouse plantations decreased by 20% and

Stellar prices but poor quality: this is not good enough
Operating in fruit and vegetables, with first fruits or new items, does not always bring the desired results; this is especially the case if certain factors - such as quality/price ratio and

Searching for margin in blueberry packing
As costs are very high and supply is abundant during the peak of the season, blueberry growers will be looking to reduce their costs as much as possible. According to Piotr Milewski, CEO of

This week in Fruchthandel Magazine: Logistics, Asparagus, Overseas

South African avocado exports to increase by 23% this season
The first of this season’s avocados from South Africa arrived in the European market in week 10, the total export is expected to be 80,000 tonnes, up 23% on last year. “Volumes out of South

Zagora watermelon volumes to decrease by at least 25%
Due to restrictions on watermelon production in the Moroccan region of Zagora, imposed by the local government, watermelon volumes from this region will decline significantly this season. The

Another stage of onion price increase has started in Moldova
The wholesale prices for yellow onions of the 2022 harvest in the markets of Chisinau increased by 0.5-1 MDL/kg in the first half of this week up to an average of 15 MDL/kg ($0.83/kg). The rise in

BVL/QS: Emergency approval for isomate CLR MAX IT
The Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) has granted emergency approval for Isomate CLR MAX IT for the control of the fruit cup moth (Adoxophyes orana) and the leathery cup

CIV is becoming more and more international
CIV's latest strawberry innovations were presented at the North American Strawberry Symposium (NASS), held in San Louis Obispo, California/USA, from 7 to 10 March 2023. Mauro Grossi, President of