Produce Market Report for September 9, 2022
Market Alert: Lettuces & Red Bell Peppers
Right now California is experiencing humidity and fog combined with high heat during the day. This paired with the concerning soil conditions is leading to very low lettuce harvest numbers. This is affecting iceberg, romaine, romaine hearts, and green leaf. The spotty quality is making it hard to harvest and hard to pack. Prices are elevated and quality is a concern. We anticipate this will impact the processed (chopped/shredded) lettuces first, then the whole heads.
We are seeing some of the lowest harvest numbers on red bell peppers in nearly a decade. There are fewer producers in action this year leading to a very limited yield. We are hoping to see more growers producing in the next few weeks, but no relief expected until then.
Problems and Issues:
| Asparagus: Remains very high Broccoli: Up $5 Corn: Up slightly Lettuce: Extremely elevated, possible quality issues Potatoes: Remain very high Red Bell Peppers: Prices elevated, supplies tight Romaine: Remain high Romaine Hearts: Remain high |
Caution:
| Green Onions: Prices trending upward Herbs (Cilantro & Parsley): Elevated Oranges: Prices up |
Steady Items:
| Apples, Bananas, Cauliflower, Celery, Eggplant, Grapes, Green Bell Peppers, Kale, Lemons, Limes, Melons, Onions, Shallots, Squash, Strawberries, Tomatoes |
Prices coming down:
| Avocados: Down $2 Cucumber: Down $2 |
More Market News
| Idaho is starting to catch up, but potatoes remain in a concerning state. All sizes and grades were impacted by the gap in the growing season. We are seeing the smaller sizes available, but supplies are still tight on the larger sizes as growers are letting the crop mature. The market will continue improve in the upcoming weeks. Strawberries remain challenging. The soil and weather conditions in California have greatly impacted the harvest numbers and quality. Green onion supplies remain extremely tight and prices extremely elevated. Larger sizes of asparagus continue to be limited. We are heading into a gap in the domestic orange growing season. Supplies are getting tight and prices are trending upward. Lemons continue to be a mixed market, not all sizes are in abundance. Peak season for stone fruit, grapes, and melons coming from the west coast. Harvest numbers are great, prices are good, quality is a good as it gets! Pears are in good supply and very tasty as well. Squash season is upon us! Be on the look out for winter squash varieties like acorn, butternut, and spaghetti. |
