U.S. citrus industry responds to soaring demand for juice, fresh produce

Industry leaders told us that "as consumers seek nutritious products high in vitamin-C like citrus", the industry works to fill demand amid uncertainty.

March 27 , 2020

U.S. decision to increase farmworker visa processing praised by industry groups

The fruit and vegetable industry last week became concerned when the Department announced that it would suspend processing new visas under the guest worker program in Mexico.

March 27 , 2020

Freshfel urges concrete EU-wide solutions to ensure food security

The European Fresh Produce Association says it strongly supports the consensus among Member State Ministries on the need to guarantee the integrity of the Single Market

March 27 , 2020

Late season frost hits Italian fruit and vegetable production hard

Temperatures dipped between around -4°C and -7°C at the beginning of the week for more than 10 hours in the Emilia-Romagna region, heavily affecting stonefruit and kiwifruit.

March 26 , 2020

United Fresh estimates US$5B loss for fresh produce industry from Covid-19 outbreak

United Fresh said the immediate impact would be US$5bn for exposure for lost inventory and risk to growers, US$1bn a week in lost sales, as well as tens of thousands employee furloughed.

March 24 , 2020

South African ag operations "will continue" despite lockdown, industry body assures

"It would be wrong to say it is ‘business as usual’ as we will need to change some of what we do – but operations must continue," said Justin Chadwick of Fruit South Africa.

March 24 , 2020

"Looming food crisis" unless global supply chain takes action, FAO reports

A recent FAO report details how "both lives and livelihoods" are at particular risk in the global agricultural industry and how supply chains must act fast.

March 24 , 2020

Mexican table grape crop to be lower and earlier than last year

The industry is expecting a 20% year-on-year drop from 23.6m cartons to 19.7m, which is largely the result of frosts at the start of the year.

March 23 , 2020

EU border restrictions disrupting food supplies, industry groups say

They also raised concerns over potential labor shortages, after more than a dozen countries either tightened or shut its borders as the number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 rises rapidly on the continent.

March 19 , 2020

U.S. limits guest worker visas for Mexicans

As of today, new applications will not be processed for the H2A guest worker program and only returning seasonal workers will be allowed to enter the U.S.

March 18 , 2020