Crop News, May 2026 United States Pears: Export demand into Mexico continues to be a key outlet for Pacific Northwest pears late in the season. Shippers report the usual late-season shrink and lower pack-out versus earlier estimates, with remaining fruit moving through standard packaging programs. Cherries: California’s cherry season moved into full activity earlier than …
Continue reading “European Potato Inventories Keep Spot Trade Quiet as the Season Nears Turn”
Food safety teams across the frozen food supply chain continue to prioritize prevention-focused programs that support consistent, validated controls from ingredient receiving through packaging and distribution. Industry resources are increasingly being organized into clear, implementation-ready formats that can be integrated into existing food safety systems and training. The American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) has consolidated …
Continue reading “AFFI Expands Practical Food Safety Tools for Frozen Operations”
Snacks have always lived at the intersection of convenience and critique, but the MAHA movement is pulling that tension into sharper focus. What was once a debate driven mostly by consumer sentiment is now moving into the realm of definitions, labels, and enforceable guardrails—making snacks one of the most exposed categories in the center store. …
Crop News, April 2026 United States Potatoes: Idaho potato plantings are expected to tighten as growers respond to a difficult year, including financial pressure and reduced access to financing and processing contracts as well as forced acreage reductions in some cases, with planting decisions being made just weeks ahead of field activity. Tomatoes: Florida tomato …
Continue reading “Chile’s Cherry Season Ends with Logistical Challenges and Reduced Shipments”
Avocado growers are putting renewed focus on scouting and rapid response as avocado lace bug becomes a more visible challenge in commercial orchards. Because the insect is small and tends to stay on the underside of leaves, infestations can develop before damage is obvious from a distance, making routine inspection a critical part of day-to-day …
Continue reading “Routine Grove Scouting Helps Battle Avocado Lace Bugs”
The food industry is moving through a transformation that’s less about short-term cycles and more about structural redesign. One of the clearest signals is the steady reshaping of portfolios through mergers and acquisitions—moves that reveal what companies believe they’ll need to compete next. Recent examples span the frozen and value-added landscape: Greenyard aligning with Gelagri, …
Clean label expectations continue to evolve as regulators and consumers take a closer look at ingredient lists, on-pack claims, and how products are positioned in the marketplace. What once centered on “simple” ingredients is increasingly tied to how brands define, support, and manage clean label standards across product lines. Food and beverage teams are navigating …
Continue reading “Clean Label Standards Shift as Regulations and Consumer Scrutiny Increase”
United States Strawberries: Subnormal temperatures and freeze events slowed growth and coloring earlier in the month, tightening supplies and disrupting harvest rhythm. As temperatures moderated, production was reported to be recovering, with shippers working to cover committed programs. Blueberries: A major cold snap caused significant damage to floral buds and fruiting potential in parts of …
AFFI-CON 2026 landed with the kind of energy the frozen industry recognizes instantly: a concentrated few days where calendars tighten, conversations sharpen, and the year ahead starts to take real shape. In San Diego, the show once again proved that frozen isn’t just a dependable corner of the store—it’s an increasingly strategic one, powered by …
Continue reading “When the World Gets Loud, Frozen Stays Focused: AFFI-CON 2026 and What’s Next”
United States Potatoes: U.S. potato production finished slightly below the prior year, with the processing segment continuing to be shaped by contracted programs. For the coming season, contract discussions are active across major growing regions, and early indications suggest processing raw material pricing is trending lower in new agreements. Blueberries (Cultivated): The U.S. cultivated blueberry …
Continue reading “Peru Mango Supply Tightens as Vietnam Offers Stay Competitive”
Recent federal nutrition guidance is reinforcing a back-to-basics message that prioritizes whole, nutrient-dense foods while calling for a meaningful pullback from highly processed items that rely on chemical additives. For food manufacturers and supply-chain partners, this direction matters because it aligns public guidance with the growing expectation that labels be simpler, ingredients be more familiar, …
Continue reading “Ingredient Simplification and Produce Handling Move Into the Spotlight”
Frozen is no longer the aisle you visit when time is tight—it’s increasingly the aisle you build around. Conagra’s Future of Frozen Food 2026 frames the category as a modern eating infrastructure: a place where convenience doesn’t have to trade off with ingredient expectations, and where shoppers can assemble meals that feel both intentional and …
Flavor forecasting for 2026 is widening the lens: it’s no longer enough for a product to taste good—it has to mean something. The next wave of winning profiles is being framed as “emotionally intelligent,” where nostalgia, comfort, and cultural identity carry as much weight as heat level or sweetness. In practice, that’s why “spicy” and …
Regulators and industry stakeholders are closely watching efforts to establish a federally recognized definition of ultra-processed foods. As definitions take shape, non-nutritive sweeteners used for sugar reduction are emerging as a key area of focus, including both traditional high-intensity sweeteners and sweeteners often positioned as plant-derived or “clean label.” For manufacturers, the way non-nutritive sweeteners …
Continue reading “Sweeteners Under Review as Ultra-Processed Food Definitions Evolve”
United States Blackberries (including marionberries/boysenberries): Processors reported good quality and sweetness, with yields sufficient to cover demand and carry some inventory for spot needs, supported by improved sorting performance. Blueberries: In Oregon, the blueberry run extended late due to mild fall weather; quality was strong with a higher share of top-grade packs, and processors noted …
Continue reading “Mexico Remains Lead Supplier as U.S. Avocado Arrivals Grow”
Crop News, December 2025 United States Cranberries: Early indications point to a materially smaller crop driven by weather, tightening domestic availability. As the largest producer and consumer, the U.S. shortfall is expected to redirect additional demand to Canadian suppliers and encourage earlier forward planning. Potatoes: U.S. potatoes head into winter on mostly solid footing: …
Continue reading “Mexico Avocados Stay Promo-Friendly Into Winter”
Walmart is rewriting the fine print on its store brands. The retailer said it will remove 11 synthetic dyes and more than 30 additional additives—covering categories like certain preservatives, artificial sweeteners, and fat substitutes—from U.S. private-label foods across lines such as Great Value, Marketside, Freshness Guaranteed, and Bettergoods. Reformulated items begin rolling out soon with …
Open the app, scroll for a minute, and you can watch a flavor travel from someone’s stovetop to a national shelf plan. In 2025, TikTok isn’t just reflecting taste—it’s compressing it. FoodNavigator-USA reports that viral recipes and creator-led flavor mashups are now a bona fide signal for what moves at retail, with teams tracking surges …
Continue reading “TikTok-to-Shelf: How Viral Food Trends Are Rewriting the CPG Launch Cycle”
United States Avocados: In the U.S. market, avocado pricing has entered a highly favorable phase, with both conventional and organic prices showing noticeable declines compared to last year and even the previous month. This downtrend is driven by a combination of steady Mexican supply and the seasonal wind-down of California’s domestic harvest. Retailers and foodservice …
A new study published in Cell Metabolism has reignited concerns about ultra‑processed foods (UPFs) — and the findings should put food manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, and private‑label brands on alert. Specifically, the research suggests that diets dominated by ultra‑processed ingredients may impair reproductive and hormonal health, regardless of total calorie intake. UPFs — defined broadly as …
Continue reading “Ultra-Processed Foods Under the Microscope”