Produce Quality Information April 2016
Key:
Red
Amber
Green
Serious concerns with quality or availability.
Some concerns with quality or availability.
No current concerns with quality or availability.
Crop Summary
Spanish hard salads are likely to be the biggest problem area this month. The warm winter in Spain has
left plants tired and stressed as they near the end of their season and sustaining production is proving
tricky. All pepper types, especially yellow, as well as tomatoes and cucumbers are struggling to reach the
appropriate quality levels and shelf-life is therefore likely to be reduced. Countries such as Canary
Islands and Morocco will offer some support until the Dutch and UK seasons get fully underway in the
coming weeks.
Spanish leafy salads are also struggling currently, a legacy of crops maturing too early during the warm
winter period, which leaves gaps later in the season.
Spanish strawberries have improved in recent weeks, bringing some welcome flavour to the dessert
trolley. Some issues are being reported with mould, so careful selection is important! Just under a
month now before volumes or British berries begin to come through.
Avocado availability will continue to prove an issue until mid to late may when South African fruit
becomes available. Until then, reduced harvests and surging demand are resulting in shortages and very
high prices.
Indian white grapes and South African black grapes are performing well. Chilean supplies will start to
arrive towards the end of April.
Availability of Primofiore lemons remains tight from Spain, which will remain the case until the middle of
April when we move to the Verna variety. We are currently sourcing lemons from Spain before we
change to supply from the Southern Hemisphere.
Availability of British brassicas is very low, especially cauliflowers, which now have to be sourced from
various origins in order to maintain availability. We expect the situation to improve by the end of April.
Jerseys are just beginning to arrive, but will be pricey until volumes grow. The British asparagus is also
struggling to take off but is not far away.
Anita Prieto
Produce Technical Manager
[email protected]
Reynolds Produce Quality Information
April 2016
Page 1
Product
Status
Comments
Asparagus
Primary supply from Peru and Mexico. Overall quality and
availability are stable. UK supply will start mid-April.
Asparagus Tips
Supply from Mexico, Peru and Thailand.
Quality and availability are fine.
Fine beans
Supply mainly from Senegal Kenya, Egypt and Ethiopia. Quality and
availability are fine with some minor local variations depending on
the source.
Red / Green Bullet
Chillies
Primary supply from India, Spain, Senegal, and Egypt. Quality and
availability are fine.
Mange tout /
Sugar snap peas
Primary supply from Guatemala, Egypt, Morocco, and Kenya.
Quality and availability are fine.
Baby vegetables
Supply from South Africa and Zambia for baby carrots, baby leeks,
baby courgettes and baby fennel. Due to weather issues at origin,
baby fennel and baby leek availability is tight. All other lines are of
good quality and stable availability.
Mooli
Supply from Italy with good quality and stable availability.
Passion Fruit
Supply mainly from Colombia.
Quality and availability are fine.
Figs
Mainly Brazilian fruits. Quality and availability are fine.
Butternut Squash
Mainly from Portuguese. Minor cosmetic defects are evident,
although overall quality and availability are fine.
Pomegranate
Hicaz variety. Primary supply from Turkey will satisfy demand until
end of March while there is limited availability of South African fruit.
Quality and availability are fine.
Reynolds Produce Quality Information
April 2016
Page 2
Paw Paw (Papaya)
Supply of standard size fruit primarily from Brazil, Jamaica, Ghana
and Ecuador. Occasional skin defects are present in Brazilian fruits,
but overall the situation remains manageable.
Exotic fruit and
remainder of
exotic vegetables
Quality and availability are fine.
Cabbage / spring
greens / kale /
Brussels sprouts
Savoy cabbage: UK supply. Very tight availability but quality, in
general, remains acceptable.
Red cabbage: UK supply from stored crops, with no adverse effects
caused by recent wet weather.
White cabbage: UK supply from stored crops. No quality issues.
Spring greens: UK supply (Cornwall). Still showing symptoms of
disease, mostly on the outer leaves. Suppliers are grading out the
worst leaves at farm level.
Kale: Supply from the UK and Holland. Very tight availability from
both sources. Minor defects are present on the tips of the leaves,
which are proving very difficult to grade out.
Sweetheart
cabbage
Supply from Spain and the UK. The availability of Spanish crops
remains tight, and UK crops are showing incidences of broken outer
leaves that require selection. Minimum weight specifications may
be compromised as a result.
Broccoli
Supply from Spain with good quality and availability. Occasional
incidences of yellowing during storage have been seen.
Cauliflower
Very tight availability from the UK and Spain until the UK season
starts in earnest. We are currently sourcing from a variety of
different origins including France and Greece to improve general
availability.
Now approaching the end of the UK growing season. Long periods
of rain have challenged product quality. Additional selection
processes at the pack house are being implemented to guarantee
quality.
Spanish product with no issues regarding quality or availability.
Growers have taken measures to prevent the spread of the New
Delhi virus, and as a result incidences have been a lot lower than in
previous years.
Carrots
Courgette
Cucumbers
We are now approaching the end of the Spanish season, where we
have seen issues around quality. Supplies from the UK and Holland
are starting to come in, and quality is expected to improve.
Leek
Supply from Holland of stored crop. We have seen occasional leaf
breakdown which growers are selecting out at farm level.
Reynolds Produce Quality Information
April 2016
Page 3
Onions
Brown skins: Supply includes a combination of UK and Dutch stored
crops and fresh Spanish crops for the largest sizes. No major issues
have been identified despite adverse weather conditions
throughout the growing cycle.
Red skins: Primarily UK supply, supplemented with Dutch product.
Quality and availability are fine.
Colossal onions: Approaching the end of the Spanish season. In
general the quality has been fine throughout the season.
Parsnips
UK Supply. Quality and availability are fine.
Peppers
We are approaching the end of the Spanish season. Product quality
has been significantly impacted as a result of abnormally warm
weather conditions throughout the winter. Dutch product is starting
to come in slowly but still not in sufficient volumes to satisfy
demand.
UK supply from stored crop. No impact on availability or quality,
although we have seen some evidence of storage disease.
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Loose round: Supply from Spain, the Canary Islands and Morocco to
ensure general availability. We are experiencing difficulty around
achieving the correct levels of coloration, which is due to lower
levels of sunlight.
Baby Plum and Cherry: Supply from Spain. There have been a
number of quality incidents related to splits, although this situation
has recently improved as a result of improved selection processes
and better storage conditions.
Vine tomatoes and standard plum: Supply from Spain. Quality and
availability are fine.
Beef Tomatoes
Reynolds Produce Quality Information
Beef: Supply from Spain and Morocco. We are experiencing
difficulty around achieving the correct levels of coloration and sizing
with Spanish beef tomatoes, but Moroccan crops are currently of
excellent quality.
April 2016
Page 4
Herbs – all types
Lettuce; all types
Basil – Israel and Spain
Quality has now improved following recent high levels of mildew.
Asian Basil – Israel and Spain
Good quality with no issues.
Chervil – Spain and Israel
Good quality with no issues.
Chives – Israel, Ethiopia and Spain
Good quality with no issues.
Coriander and Dill – Spain
Good quality with no issues.
Marjoram and Oregano – Colombia, Israel and Spain
Good quality with no issues.
Mint – Colombia, Israel and Spain
Good quality with no issues.
Sage – Spain and Israel
Good quality with no issues.
Sorrel – Colombia and Israel
Good quality with no issues.
Tarragon – Colombia, Spain and Israel
Good quality with no issues.
Thyme – Colombia and Spain
Good quality with no issues.
Rocolla, Red Chard and Mizuna – Italy
Good quality with no issues.
Edible Flowers – England
New UK crop now available which are of excellent quality and
colour.
Supply from Spain and the USA. After an unusually warm winter,
temperatures have suddenly dropped, making European availability
very tight for the forthcoming weeks. Cos lettuce from the USA is
currently being sourced to support availability.
Unwashed Leaf
Supply primarily from Italy. Quality and availability are fine.
Speciality washed
leaf (Romaine,
Batavia, Apollo,
Lollo Verde,
Escarole, Endive,
Radicchio, herbs,
baby continental,
baby leaf and
watercress)
Apples and Pears
Supply from Spain, Italy and France. Quality and availability are fine.
Overall quality and availability are both fine.
Supply from the UK for all Bramley Apples.
All other apples are being sourced from Italy, France, Belgium,
Austria and Slovenia.
Supply from Belgium and Holland for loose pears (tray pack).
Reynolds Produce Quality Information
April 2016
Page 5
Avocados
Global availability of avocados remains very tight. The Israeli,
Spanish and Chilean seasons are coming to an end, and low volumes
of fruit from Peru, the Dominican Republic and Colombia are now
available. We are also receiving a small supply of airfreight fruit
from Mexico and the UK in order to maintain availability. Peruvian
volumes will start to build as we approach the end of April, however
we anticipate that supplies will still not be enough to satisfy
demand. South African volumes will not be sufficient until we are
well into May, as recent hail and floods have delayed the current
harvest. As such, we anticipate that general availability will remain
very tight until mid-to-late May.
Bananas
Supply from Costa Rica
Improved weather conditions over the past few months are having a
very positive impact on the grade of fruit received.
Supply from the Dominican Republic
At the moment this origin is only used for smaller sizes.
Supply from Ghana and Ivory Coast
We can expect high temperatures until the start of the rainy season
in June, which is good for the growth of the fruit.
Mexico and Colombia
No issues currently with fruit from this region. The grade and quality
are at the higher end of the specification.
Kiwi Fruit
Strawberries
Blueberries
Reynolds Produce Quality Information
Ecuador
We have recently experienced issues around ‘shadow bruising’
which develops while the fruit is being ripened and is difficult to
spot at intake. The situation has now normalized.
Main season Italian supply.
Quality and availability are fine.
Supply from Morocco and Spain. Typically this fruit is firmer due to
the varieties grown and the extra travel required to reach the UK.
The fruit also tends to have low levels of dry bruising and can have
some ‘white shoulder’ which is pale coloration around the stalk
area. Due to the higher than usual temperatures in both Morocco
and Spain, low levels of mould have been spotted at farm level. This
is being managed carefully managed by our suppliers. We are
expecting to see the first supply of UK crop in early May.
Supply from Spain, Morocco and Chile. Quality and availability are
fine.
April 2016
Page 6
Raspberries and
Blackberries
Grapes red /
white
Mangos
Raspberries
Supply from Spain, Morocco. Quality and availability are fine.
Blackberries
Supply from Mexico. Quality and availability are fine.
White Grapes: Thompson Seedless variety. Supply from India and
South Africa. Quality and availability are fine.
Red / Black Grapes: Supply from South Africa for most of April with
some supply of Chilean Crimson to begin from week 17. Quality and
availability are fine.
Supply primarily from Brazil, supported by Ecuador, the Dominican
Republic and Peru.
Quality and availability are fine.
Plums
African delight and Laetitia varieties. Supply from South Africa.
These varieties will be in supply until the end of week 15, at which
point we will transition to the Angeleno variety until the end of the
South African season at the end of April.
Melons /
Pineapples
Melons: Central American season with supply from Costa Rica,
Nicaragua and Guatemala. Quality and availability are fine.
Pineapples: Costa Rica is the main supply source for the industry in
general. Quality and availability are fine.
Lemons
Supply from Spain. Global availability remains very tight. The
Primafiori variety is expected to finish slightly earlier than normal,
and Moroccan fruit may be sourced in order to support availability.
Lime
Supply from Brazil. Brazilian limes are relatively pale with significant
leaf shading. Excessive leaf-shaded limes will be graded out by our
supply base. Supplies from Mexico are available as a contingency.
Overall, quality and availability are fine.
Citrus (Oranges,
Grapefruit, Easy
Peelers)
Citrus (excluding lemon):
Oranges: Supply from Egypt. Quality and availability are fine.
Juicing oranges: Supply from Spain and Egypt. Quality and
availability are fine.
Grapefruit white and red: Supply from Cyprus. Quality and
availability are fine.
Soft citrus: Clementines are of the Ortanique variety. Quality and
availability are fine.
Reynolds Produce Quality Information
April 2016
Page 7