MARKET UPDATE WEEK # 41 - 2020

Good Afternoon,

That same old story again, hot conditions continue to cripple crops. Temperatures out West saw brief relief this week, but a high-pressure system is expected to warm things up into the weekend. The heat will prolong some of the issues we are seeing with most commodities out of the West Coast.

CELERY is one of the few bright spots out West. 36ct Sizing is not as available as larger sizes but there is enough product where growers are willing to pack up 36-size celery with enough lead time. Larger sizes like 24's and 30's are what growers are pushing, so if you are looking for a deal, check out our WEEKLY FRESH SPECIALS.

On the other side of the order sheet, LETTUCE, ROMAINE, and all TENDER LEAF, will continue to be a struggle. SPINACH and LEAFY GREENS don't do well in the heat. Supplies are incredibly short, and we are in a demand exceeds situation with pricing nearing it's peak. LETTUCE will continue to have some bruising and discoloration, and the same can be said about ROMAINE and GREEN LEAF. Lettuce be patient for the transition to YUMA in about 5-6 weeks.

CANADAIAN LETTUCE and ROMAINE have provided a lifeline that has helped us through the shortages out West. Unfortunately, we only have another two weeks left of availability. If the markets remain the way they are in California, we have some difficult weeks ahead.

GRAPES remain in good supply! Availability and price is steady on GREEN, RED, and BLACK SEEDLESS.

MELONS are nearing the end of the season. Availability is getting tight on both HONEYDEWS and CANTALOUPES, with the latter seeing the worst of it. Sizing is favoring the larger size fruit (9ct loupes and 5/6ct dews). We will see this trend continue until imports are available in roughly 6 weeks.

TOMATO markets are moving up. Growing regions up the East Coast were hammered with rain from Hurricane Laura while West Coast supplies have seen drastically high temperatures. We are on the beginning of a downslope for TOMATO supplies that may last for another few weeks.

NEW CROP POTATOES are in good supply. We will see some increased demand on the 5-pound bags due to the USDA program but other than that, we expect seasonal availability to be steady.

We have switched up our STRAWBERRY SUPPLY to Santa Maria, California. We'll see how the quality is when it arrives next week, but the fruit will be from newer plants and should hold some better quality than the late season Watsonville fruit.

More as it happens,
Parker Tannehill