@FreshStartFoodsCanada Milton HQ: 1-800-563-5033 april 12, 2021 Ottawa: 613-521-7415 London: 519-659-5757 www.freshstartfoods.com ALERTS • CITRUS: Devastating crop damage in Texas from recent freeze FEATURED ITEM: damage wrought on crops by Winter Storm Uri in mid-February. Dropped grapefruit, rotting greens, and dead seedlings. More than $600 million in crop losses. Near total losses in late-season citrus.

MARKET AT A GLANCE:

Peeled Garlic: Supplies from China continue to be very tight. Pricing is high, but steady. Quality is only fair. Avocados: Pricing is steady at higher levels on all fruit. California and Peru have started. Blackberries & Raspberries: Very light supplies until the end of April. Strawberries: Severely tightened available supplies. Pricing is very high, however quality remains good. Limes: Mexico’s harvest is light, pricing very high. Supplies limited until new crop starts mid-late April. Grape CODE: #7901 Field Cucumbers: Mexico’s Sonora harvest continues to be slow to ramp up. Pricing is higher. PACK SIZE: BULK 10 LB Green Grapes: Quality remains fair, but harvests have lightened further. Pricing is higher and quality is fair. Stone Fruit: Chile’s Stone Fruit season will end in mid to late April. Peaches in particular are finished with nectarines and plums more available, but winding down quickly. Quality is good. NOT AVAILABLE WHAT’S IN OUR BACKYARD? • STEM STRAWBERRIES • CHERRIES • SHELLED PEAS • APRICOTS • STARFRUIT • QUINCE • PUNTARELLE • GOLD KIWI • PERSIMONS • PEACH • SEVILLE ORANGES WAX TURNIP (RUTABEGA): Ontario rutabaga continues with good supplies. CARROT: Demand for Ontario carrots strong, pricing remains high. Starting the transition to Mexican carrots sometime in April. Heirloom carrot supplies are still good with steady pricing. – Gwillimdale Farms, Bradford LIMITED ITEMS ONION: Yellow cooking onions continue with good supply and quality. – Gwillimdale Farms, Bradford • DRAGON FRUIT • BLOOD ORANGES MUSHROOMS: Markets continue to be extremely active due to the high demand at retail. This will affect • POMEGRANATE • ENGLISH PEA availability and quality on foodservice items, particularly button mushrooms. We are also seeing COVID • RHUBARB restrictions that were implemented for safety affecting output at several mushroom facilities. – Leamington POTATO: Potatoes are available in all colors (white, red and yellow). Mini B size are in good supply, while C sizes are finished. Large #1 chefs continue. CABBAGE: Savoy, green and red cabbage continue here in Ontario. Supplies are very good while prices continue to increase. Quality on green and savoy is good. – Saliba Farms, Acton APPLES: Growers continue to pack McIntosh, Empire, Cortland, Red Delicious as well as Ambrosia and NOW AVAILABLE: Honeycrisp out of controlled atmosphere storages. Growers are finished packing Gold Delicious and Royal • CASTLEFRANCO • MEYER LEMONS • CUBANELLE PEPPER • BLACK PLUMS Galas. – Norfolk Fruit Growers – Simcoe / Great Northern Orchards • FLORIDA JUICE ORANGE • POLE FLAT BEAN HOTHOUSE LETTUCE: Hydroponic boston supplies are steady with very good quality. • CLEMENTINES • HOTHOUSE PEPPERS: Supplies of red, yellow and orange hothouse peppers have increased as more • CARA CARA ORANGE • FAVA BEAN growers come on line. Supplies far exceed demand and pricing is very low. See below for full details. – • NECTARINE • HONEY TANGERINE Nature Fresh Farms, Leamington ENGLISH CUCUMBERS: Markets continue to be strong while Canadian farms are in full production and Mexican growers are gapping. Quality is very good. See below for full details. – Great Lakes Farms, Leamington HOTHOUSE TOMATO: Ontario heirloom, cocktail, gourmet medley and tomberries continue to be in full production. We can expect to see 15lb to start in about two weeks. See below for full details. – Nature Fresh Farms, Leamington WILD FORAGED PRODUCTS VEGETABLES ** NEW ** RAMPS (WILD LEEKS) - USA ** NEW ** SUMMER TRUFFLES - BULGARIA GARLIC Supplies of peeled garlic from China well, leading to a steady to lower market. Quality is WILD BEAR GARLIC (RANSOMS) - FRANCE continue to be very tight and priced much higher as very good. Demand is steady. FIDDLEHEADS - BRITISH COLUMBIA new crop harvest continues. WILD WATERCRESS - OREGON CELERY Yuma’s harvest is almost completely done, MINERS LETTUCE - OREGON ICEBERG Iceberg production in Yuma and the and Oxnard/Santa Maria is completely ramped up, WILD SPRING ONIONS - OREGON Imperial Valley is essentially finished and field along with Mexico and Florida. 30 CT and larger sized BLUEFOOT MUSHROOMS - FRANCE transition continues with product grown in Santa product remains the best value, with very good quality MORELL MUSHROOMS - CHINA Maria, Huron and Salinas. on all sizes. HEDGEHOG MUSHROOM - OREGON GREEN ONIONS US CABBAGE Florida and Texas have both good Supplies continue to be good of CILANTRO Steady supplies and good quality supplies and good pricing on green cabbage. Red Mexico as demand remains steady. This market should continue for this week. Quality is strong; texture is cabbage is a little bit light on volume and is priced continue to remain steady as we head into next week. firm with minimal yellowing. slightly higher. EGGPLANT Below normal supply is expected to ONIONS Pricing on all colors and sizes has leveled BROCCOLI Transition to the northern growing continue out of Florida. Mexico’s transition to Sinaloa off in all shipping regions for the time being. The region is complete. Santa Maria and the Salinas Valley is complete. Quality and pricing are good. size profile on all colors is leaning heavier toward the are the primary shipping points on the west coast. CUCUMBERS FIELD: Florida market continues larger sizes. West coast and Mexican supplies are filling demand to remain strong as demand exceeds supply. Quality needs with excellent quality and average pricing. HOTHOUSE PEPPERS Production levels are overall remains good. English: Seeing very strong Supplies are easily meeting demand. extremely high right now from Canada and Mexico. markets on English cucumbers. Seems to be a new Demand is low. Markets really depressed as a result. ASPARAGUS Prices are on the rise. Mexico will dynamic of seasonal supply changes due to growers be finishing production in Caborca and transitioning now growing product under lights. ZUCCHINI Florida continues to produce steady to Central Mexico. California and Washington are supply, while Nogales will struggle this week. BRUSSELS SPROUTS Supplies continue to be expected to start the end of April. abundant. Quality also continues to be strong. TABLE POTATOES Canada had 6.4% fewer CAULIFLOWER Similar to broccoli, the transition potatoes in storage on March 1st this year than CORN Corn prices remain high. Seeing the impact to the northern growing region is complete. Santa March 1st, 2020. Stocks are at the lowest level for of February’s hard freeze. In better supplies this week Maria and the Salinas Valley are the primary shipping this time of year since 2012. Reduced stocks in PEI, than last, but still not in normal spring volume. points for cauliflower on the west coast. Quality is New Brunswick, and Alberta were partially offset by good. KALE Production in the Salinas Valley is off to a increases in Manitoba and Ontario. The largest decline slow start. Pricing may start trending higher. Overall, came in potatoes intended for table potato sales, BEANS Volume continues to be ample out of Florida quality is good. which were down 10.6% from last year. and supplies out of Mexico continue to be strong as FRUITS

MANGO Packing houses opened after the Easter ORANGES California Navels: The California navel STONE FRUIT Chile’s Stone Fruit season will end holiday weekend. Red mangos in the growing regions orange season is winding down. Valencia orange mid to late April. Peaches in particular are winding of Oaxaca and Michoacán in Mexico, will continue season is expected to start in mid-May. Navel demand down early, with nectarines and plums having better harvesting to fill the pipeline. We expect supply to has been steady the past few weeks. Pricing has more availability. Quality is good. increase as we get into mid-April to start promotions slightly increased as supplies have been at healthy GRAPES and retail ads for the upcoming Cinco de Mayo levels. Navels are a deeper orange color while, Over the last 2 weeks, we have been holiday. Valencias range from light to full color and suffer from hearing there has been a lot of fruit starting to be re-greening in the summer months. repacked; fruit showing issues and age is being BLUEBERRIES Good volumes of blueberries are moved out into secondary markets. The current grape coming. Quality is good, with pricing expected to GRAPEFRUIT We have seen demand drop on situation is starting to level with demand, while there continue to ease as supplies increase. grapefruit over last few weeks. Pricing has remained has been a lack of retail ads due to post-Chilean rain high since Texas ended early and the initial wave quality concerns the middle of the season. STRAWBERRIES Volume continues to fall short of demand has subsided. Expect the market to stay FIELD TOMATOES of expectations, pushing prices higher as northern strong all season long though. Pricing on Florida, Round and California is slow to get started from the rain and hail Mexico and offshore grapefruit has remained very inventories are strong due to good weather in all events a few weeks ago. strong due the good demand insufficient supplies. growing regions. Grape tomatoes have rebounded; RASPBERRIES Quality has been excellent. supplies are abundant. quality is better Very light supplies due to weather in Florida than in Mexico. Supplies continue to be related issues. Supplies are well below projected LIMES Limes continue to struggle as we get into very good on mature green rounds, romas and grape volume with lower-than-expected volume expected to April. We continue to see a shift in sizing, leaning tomatoes as Central Florida continues harvesting. continue through the end of April before we see heavy to smaller sized fruit and expect to see this As these are newer fields, the larger sizes are more supply start to increase. Demand continues to exceed through most of April. We are anticipating a premium plentiful with light demand. Quality is very good. supply again this week, with high prices. on larger sized fruit to continue while we expect Pricing remains steady with the strong supplies. Roma BLACKBERRIES Demand exceeding supply. markets on smaller sized fruit to fluctuate throughout demand is steady with very good quality and good Supplies continue to be lighter than expected. We the month of April, then turn around once again in supplies. Cherry tomatoes are in good supply with should expect supply to start increasing through mid- May. Demand for limes has been moderate. steady pricing. Grape tomatoes continue to be in good supply with prices holding steady. April, and peak in early May. Quality is fair. CANTALOUPE Cantaloupe supplies have picked up GOLD PINEAPPLES Costa Rica: Quality is over the last couple of weeks in both Guatemala and APPLES Washington: The apple market remains reported as good but with some water spotting Honduras. Availability is peaking on 12 count. Pricing tight again this week as demand remains strong. We primarily on large-count fruit. Supply is reported as is steady, with the eastern markets continuing to be expect this tight and higher priced market to remain light. Mexican: There was strong demand for Easter slightly lower than the west. Quality is great, with brix this way until the new season starts in August 2021. promotions, and supplies continue to be limited. Fruit levels at 10% and up. Supply is expected to be steady Inventories are less than last year at this same time. quality from Mexico is very good. through April as supply begins to taper off. = Local options