Primo

 Lettuce: 

Lettuce markets are up. With the recent heat wave, shippers are forecasting yields to decline along with some quality issues developing at field level. Weights are being reported around 38 to 44 pounds. Quality is fair to good. 

Leaf: 

• Romaine markets are up. Heat is becoming an issue for Romaine. Temperatures of 90+ degrees each day are hindering harvest and reducing yields. Look for the market to tighten up as supplies are reduced and volume becomes limited. Quality is fair to good. 
• Romaine Heart markets are up. Heat is becoming an issue for Romaine Hearts. Temperatures of 90+ degrees each day are hindering harvest and reducing yields. Look for the market to tighten up as supplies are reduced and volume becomes limited. Quality is fair to good. 
• Green Leaf markets are up. Look for limited harvest, potential for wilting and/or product burning up due to the sensitivity of the commodity. Leaf could be impacted for a while depending on the severity of the heat. Quality is fair to good. 
• Red Leaf markets are up. Look for limited harvest, potential for wilting and/or product burning up due to the sensitivity of the commodity. Leaf could be impacted for a while depending on the severity of the heat. Quality is fair to good. 

Lettuce Tender Leaf: 

• Arcadian, Arugula, Spring Mix, Italian Parsley, Spinach & Cilantro. Tender leaf items have been in good supply, but with the ongoing heat wave in the Salinas Valley is expected to impact both quality and yields over the next few weeks. Quality is fair to good. 

Broccoli: 

Markets are up and are still limited due to insect pressure at the field level. There is an AOG increase on all value-added products. Quality is fair to good. 

Cauliflower: 

Markets are coming off. Quality is good. 

Carrots: 

• Cello markets are up and limited out West. Canada crop is in great shape with great quality. Costs are steady for this coming week. 
• Loose market remains high on Mexican crossings with good quality. Canada market is steady. Quality has been very nice. 
• Value-add Snack Carrots are steady. Quality is good. 

Celery: 

California and Canada markets are steady. Quality is good. 

Strawberries & Bush Berries: Alert 

• Strawberry markets are steady. The Mexican season is expected to start in min to late November. In California, a heat wave extending into the weekend is impacting quality and may soon negatively affect supplies. Due to heat advisories, crews will be working reduced hours, which could lead to lower yields. Quality is fair to good. 
• Raspberry markets are coming off. Steady arrival from Baja and Central Mexico are maintaining a flat market, with expectations for increased volumes as we approach late October. Quality is fair to good. 
• Blueberries markets are strong and active. The industry-wide shortage continues, but we anticipate improved availability of Peruvian imports and Central Mexico product by mid-October. Currently, only small volumes of Peruvian offshore fruit are arriving each week. Quality is fair too good. 
• Blackberries markets are up and very limited. Availability remains quite limited until Central Mexico starts to yield better numbers, which is anticipated around the third week of October. Quality is fair. 

Pineapples: 

Market is higher on product from Costa Rica due to reduced availability from the port strike. Quality has been good on recent arrivals from Costa Rica. 

Potatoes: 

The Potato market is strong. 40s through 70s are still plentiful, while 80s through #2s are tighter sizes. Quality has been good. 

Onions: 

The onion market is steady. Quality has been good. 

Cucumbers: 

• Cucumber The market is steady/ strong with lighter volume on both selects and supers. Cooler weather especially in NY, NJ, and Michigan are slowing things down. We are sourcing from New York, and New Jersey. Canada is about done for the season. Quality has been good on inbound. 
• Euro Cucumbers markets declined and leveled off. Product is still short. Quality is good. 

Squash: 

The green squash market is steady to higher with fair supplies in NJ and NY. Yellow squash steady to higher with limited supplies of good quality squash. Cooler temperatures have also slowed the squash harvest. We will have a mix of New Jersey, and New York product for next week. 

Eggplant: 

Quality on New Jersey Eggplant has been sharp on recent arrivals. Market remains steady with very light volume. 

Peppers: 

• Green bell market is steady to higher on quality green pepper. Quality on inbound has been good. New Jersey, NY, and Canada all experiencing a drop in production due to the cooler weather. 
• Red Pepper markets are steady to slightly lower with adequate supplies. Quality has been good on recent inbounds. 
• Chile Pepper Jalapeno pepper market is steady on the lower end. Quality has been sharp on recent arrivals. New Jersey has good volume. Mexico has good supplies and the market is steady 

Herbs: 

• Basil: quality is fair. 

Citrus: 

• Orange Alert Markets out of California are very active and sold out. Shippers are only covering Contracts. There is a peak in fruit production for 72ct and larger; 88/113/138ct are extremely scarce and will remain so until the end of the Val season. Quality is fair to good. 
• Import Orange market remains high with vessels delayed. Product is very short. There are some Mexican imports starting, but are very limited. Quality is good. 
• Lemon Markets out of California are up on all sizes. Quality is good. 
• Imports are steady with good quality. 
• Limes Market has come off again this week, and shippers are all over the place price wise depending on their quality and sizing they have available. 110/150cts continue to be extremely tight, and the gap in price between those sizes and the small fruit continues to grow. On a positive note, the forecast in Mexico is finally starting to show lower chances of daily rain for the next week than we have seen in about a month. If the lower chances of rain can result in less cloudy days for the next week or two, that should help size up the new crop more quickly as well. We continue to see stylar and skin breakdown on inbound loads from Mexico, but the quality has been improving, causing less product to be reworked. Couple things to keep an eye on are the east coast port strike which will slow down the flow of Colombian limes into the US putting more pressure on Mexican supplies, as well as peak hurricane season. There is currently a potential storm forming just to the east of Central America that could bring additional winds and rain to the lime growing region by this weekend unless it turns further north into the Gulf. 

Grapes: 

Markets are steady for both red and green grapes. Quality has been good on California fruit. 

Tomatoes: 

Markets on rounds are a little stronger with shippers in North Carolina and Tennessee struggling after the hurricane. Supply is light overall. Florida is expected to begin its season in late October, weather permitting. In the West, supplies are moderate, as California has about 4-5 weeks left in its season, while supplies from Baja and Central Mexico have seen some improvement. 

• Green Cartons: Markets are a few dollars higher on green cabbage. Cooler weather is slowing volume. Canada, New York, Pa, and NJ all in production. Quality has been sharp on inbound. 
• Red Cartons: Markets are elevated with good demand. Quality is good. 
• Bagged Cabbage: We have bag cabbage in stock from Canada. Market is steady with lighter supplies. 

Cabbage: 

Market Alerts: 

The items listed below are either being prorated or are in short supply. 

1.) Yukon unclassified potatoes 

2.) Specialty peppers 

3.) Avocados 

4.) Green Onions 

5.) All Oranges 

6.) Radishes 

7.) Blueberries & Blackberries 

8.) Kirby cucumbers 

9.) Asparagus 

10.) Broccoli Rabe 

11.) Clementines 

12.) Mango 

13.) Peeled garlic 

We are closely monitoring all imported items daily while the port strike continues