In the News: Key Headlines Varietal Update
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December 27, 2018 IN THE NEWS: KEY HEADLINES Sunkist’s sales and marketing teams monitor consumer, food and industry trends to stay up to date on the marketplace. In this section, notable recent headlines are highlighted for quick reference, in addition to the broader news and trend update later in the newsletter. Spending more time at home cooking healthy dishes is a top resolution for many in 2019, Peapod finds [Mary Ellen Shoup, Food Navigator] Food Navigator reports that online grocer Peapod’s third annual meal forecasting survey revealed a growing appreciation for home cooked meals and that spending more time in the kitchen cooking healthy dishes is a top resolution for many in 2019. More evidence fruits and greens can be good for the brain [Lisa Rapaport, Reuters] Reuters reports that middle-aged men who eat lots of fruits and vegetables may be lowering their odds of cognitive problems as they get on in years, compared to peers who don’t consume these foods very often, a U.S. study suggests. Retailers urged to display lots of organic produce [Jim Offner, The Packer] The Packer reports that in 2017, organic sales set a new standard in the U.S., and fresh produce played a key role in that achievement, according to the Washington, D.C.-based Organic Trade Association. U.S. organic sales totaled $49.4 billion in 2017, up 6.4% from 2016 and reflecting new sales of nearly $3.5 billion, according to the OTA’s 2018 Organic Industry Survey. VARIETAL UPDATE ORANGES Navels are available with sizes peaking at 88/113/72 or 88/72/113. Good volumes of Organic Navels are available in all sizes, peaking at 88s and smaller. Cara Cara Navels are peaking on 88s and smaller with good volumes of Sunkist Grade fruit. Choice Grade has limited availability. Fruit has full color with a nice pink interior. Organic Cara Caras are coming soon. Blood oranges are in good supply with sizes peaking at 138/163/113. Full orange exterior with a deep internal blush. Organic Bloods are coming soon. LEMONS Lemons are currently shipping from all three districts, with the majority of the supply from District 3. LIMES Sunkist is shipping limes with lemons in Ventura County, California. MANDARINS & TANGERINES Satsumas are available and sizes run from MED thru SCL. Fruit is eating very well with exceptional flavor. Sunkist Delite® mandarins are available with sizes peaking on the larger side at 32/28/24, followed by size 36. Flavor is sweet and juicy with a smooth glossy exterior. Organic Daisy mandarins are shipping now with sizes peaking on LGE/JMB/MAM. Fairfield tangerines are available with sizes peaking on MAM/JMB/LGE. Fruit has a dark orange exterior and tart flavor. TANGELOS Orlando tangelos are available and sizes are peaking at JMB/MAM/LGE. Fruit has a light orange exterior with a slightly flat shape and pebbled texture. Minneola tangelos are available and sizes are peaking at 88/64/56, followed by size 100. Fruit has a bold tangy flavor with a deep red exterior. Organic Minneola Tangelos are now harvesting with sizes peaking at 80/64/100. GRAPEFRUIT Star Ruby Organics, the new organic California grapefruits, are now available with sizes peaking at 48/40/36, 80 percent of the supply is Fancy Grade. Texas Grapefruit is in peak of season and the demand is very strong. Larger sizes, 32s are limited. The overall size structure is peaking on smaller sizes at 40/48/45/36. PUMMELOS Pummelos are available in good supply across all peak sizes, with a high demand of 12/14/18/10, mostly Sunkist Grade. Pummelos are in peak season in both maturity and demand as we move closer to the Chinese New Year. Fruit has an exterior light green to yellow color break and a ruby blush interior. SPECIAL BULLETINS The CCQC WELCOMES BACK THE PESTICIDE RESIDUE SAMPLING PROGRAM Over the past several years, the California Citrus Quality Council (CCQC) has been gathering data for preharvest pesticide residues through the sampling and residue analysis program. The data helps determine residues typically found on fruit when it arrives in the market, and assists CCQC in responding to notifications of proposed changes to current MRLs. The program will restart in December, and CCQC is inviting packinghouses to submit samples; the lab will also provide sample results directly to the packinghouse at no cost. The data is solely for industry-use and remains confidential. For more information, please contact the CCQC at (530) 885-1894, or email Carleen Price [email protected] or Jim Cranney, at [email protected]. ECOFARM CONFERENCE “RESILIANCE IS FERTILE” – JANUARY 23-26, 2019 The 39th Ecological Farming Conference (EcoFarm) will be held January 23-26, 2019 at the Asilomar State Beach and Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove, California. EcoFarm serves as an education session and networking event for farmers who strive for ecologically sustainable farming practices. This year’s conference will offer more than 70 workshops to choose from, including sessions on certifications and organic regulations, soil, fertility, pest management, production tools, labor practices and community involvement, to name a few. In addition to the educational sessions, the conference will feature an exhibitor marketplace, farm tours, tastings and live entertainment. For more information and to register, visit eco-farm.org/conference. SOUTHWEST AG SUMMIT IS SCHEDULED FOR FEBRUARY The Southwest Ag Summit returns to Yuma, Arizona February 19-22, 2019. Hosted at the Arizona Western College, the industry show will focus on products grown and distributed from Arizona, New Mexico, Southern California and Northern Mexico. Summit topics include fresh produce safety, irrigation management, energy conservation and innovative technologies. For detailed information on the Southwest AG Summit schedule of events, visit yumafreshveg.com/southwest-ag-summit/. SALES & MARKETING UPDATE CANADA: SUPERMARKET CHAIN PROMOTES SUNKIST CITRUS WITH CO-BRANDED DISPLAY BINS After a smaller, yet successful partnership in 2018, Sunkist and Metro, a Quebec-based supermarket chain, are collaborating again with co- branded, bilingual display bins in 125 stores. Throughout the entire month of January, each store will display four classic black quarter bins featuring Cara Cara Navels, Blood oranges, Minneola tangelos and grapefruit, in addition to two organic square bins to give shoppers a vast selection of Sunkist fresh citrus. The bilingual text promotes each variety’s flavor profile in both English and French. The co-branded promotion will include flyer ads to drive purchase intent. NEW ZEALAND: NEW WORLD SUPERMARKET CHAIN PARTNERS WITH SUNKIST Sunkist and MG Marketing are teaming up in the global market this January to promote multiple varieties, including Sunkist Delite® Mandarins in New Zealand. The New World Supermarket chain will display 60 Sunkist Delite® quarter bins paired with 42 in-store demo events to provide shoppers with the experience of trying this fresh, seedless and easy to peel variety. New World is also displaying 100 multi-variety classic black square bins to offer shoppers more varieties, based on individual store selection. CONSUMER NEWS & TREND UPDATE In this section of the grower newsletter, Sunkist summarizes consumer and industry news stories that the sales and marketing teams are following to inform the positioning of our brand and citrus portfolio. FOOD INDUSTRY NEWS AND TRENDS Consumers will embrace brands that ‘do the right thing,’ AF & Co. trendologists predict [Elizabeth Crawford, Food Navigator] Food Navigator reports that from the “volatile government situation” to the “crazy acts of nature” across the nation and “senseless hate crimes,” many consumers in the US are feeling uneasy and looking for a way to “escape from some of the badness” by visiting hotels, restaurants and supporting CPG brands that are doing the right thing. Pinterest Reveals Its Top Food Trends for 2019 [Caitlin Petreycik, Food & Wine] Food & Wine reports that Pinterest has released a (hyper photogenic) 2019 food trend list. The list includes eating pegan, grazing tables, foil pack dinners and homemade jam to name a few. Food-benefits recipients need a better shopping experience [Carolyn Crist, Reuters] Reuters reports that parents who receive supplemental food vouchers for grocery shopping need a better retail experience to make the most of the benefits, U.S. researchers say. When shoppers have a difficult time identifying allowable items under the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program, and then feel stigma during checkout, they’re more likely to feel frustrated and uncomfortable and not use the benefits, the study authors write in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Food system organizations must strengthen their operations to safeguard against potential threats [Science Daily] Science Daily reports that food systems face growing threats as extreme weather events become more common and more extreme due to climate change. A new study highlights characteristic of organizations involved in the food system that may lead them to be more prepared to respond to such disasters, and opportunities for local, state, and federal organizations to improve resilience across the urban food system. FOODSERVICE NEWS Postmates introduces a robot to roam sidewalks delivering food [Krista Gmelich, Bloomberg] Bloomberg reports that Postmates Inc., which shuttles food from restaurants to hungry customers, unveiled Thursday a bright-yellow, Minion-looking cube on wheels dubbed Serve. The little rover will initially be deployed in Los Angeles, but Postmates aims to roll out more of them in other cities across the U.S. in the next 12 months. Read the full article here. Chick-fil-A now delivers chicken sandwiches and waffle fries nationwide [Chris Fuhrmeister, Eater] Eater reports that Chick-fil-A has announced it is partnering with DoorDash to offer delivery at more than 1,100 of its restaurants across America.