Handling blueberries
Researchers, breeders and engineers working on ways to control blueberry bruising. | 14
Playing it safe with produce Canadian producers facing the U.S. Food Safety Modernization Act. | 16
What do consumers want? A synopsis of trade panel discussions. | 18
May 2016
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RONDA PAYNE
B.C. Blueberry Council pursuing exports to China, South Korea |
David Schmidt
HEIN
DAVID SCHMIDT
As I write this editorial, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has issued a recall for a blend of frozen berries and cherries sold exclusively through Costco stores in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia plus Newfoundland and Labrador. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, 13 people have contracted Hepatitis A, some becoming sick after eating the frozen fruit.
In light of the recall, Costco Canada is offering free Hepatitis A vaccinations for anyone affected by the product recall.
Why am I sharing this?
Well, also as I write this editorial, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is gearing up promotion of its Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), described as “the most sweeping reform” made to the country’s food safety laws in the past 70 years. And, according to David Gombas – the United Fresh Produce Association’s senior vice-president of food safety – Canadian growers, packers and
But this editor knows when she’s reached
processors who export produce to the U.S. will be facing the new rules as early as Fall 2016 (see article on page 16).
What does this mean for Canadian growers?
It means that if you’re shipping produce over the U.S. border for resale, you may need to become verified under the Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP), a program that insures “that food imported into the United States has been produced in a manner that meets applicable U.S. safety standards.”
When you visit the FDA’s
Food Safety Modernization Act information website – fda.gov/ FSMA – be prepared for page after page of legal gobbledygook containing fuzzy bureaucratic words like “stakeholder,” “reasonably foreseeable” and “potential hazard.” The FSVP section of the website is particularly dense with them, the sort of reading only a legal-type or someone really keen on filling in forms and jumping through regulatory hoops would enjoy – not that there’s anything wrong with that. But this editor knows when she’s reached the limit of her legalese translation skills and bows to the much wiser experts available out there.
One thing that is possible to glean from the reams of information available is not every Canadian grower exporting to the U.S. will be required to become verified under the FSVP. According to the FDA, very small importers and importers of food from certain small suppliers – defined as a sales ceiling of $1 million (US) annually – will only be
the limit.
required to meet “modified” FSVP requirements. Farms that average $25,000 (US) or less in annual produce sales will also only be required to meet “modified” FSVP requirements. It’s not clear what those “modified” requirements might be but one example cited is: “certain importers would not have to conduct hazard analyses and would be able to verify their foreign suppliers by obtaining written assurances.”
Clear as mud, right?
Visit fda.gov/FSMA for more information.
Stay informed and have a safe, prosperous 2016 growing season.
email: blao@annexbizmedia.com Tel: 416-442-5600 ext 3552 Fax: 416-510-5170 Mail: 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON M3B 2S9 Occasionally, Fruit & Vegetable Magazine will mail information on behalf of industry-related groups whose products and services we believe may be of interest to you. If you prefer not to receive this information, please contact our circulation department in any of the four ways listed above. Annex Privacy Officer privacy@annexbizmedia.com Tel: 800-668-2374 No part of the editorial content of this publication may be reprinted without the publisher’s written permission. ©2016 Annex Publishing and Printing Inc. All rights reserved. Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the editor or the publisher. No liability is assumed for errors or omissions. All advertising is subject to the publisher’s approval. Such approval does not imply any endorsement of the products or services advertised. Publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising that does not meet the standards of the publication.
The Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC) is working with the Saskatchewan Abilities Council to match people with disabilities with job opportunities in agriculture.
This work is part of CAHRC’s Labour Market Information (LMI) research examining workforce potential and possible barriers with underrepresented groups such as people with disabilities, Aboriginal people and immigrants in the agriculture
and agri-food industry.
CAHRC has two pilot projects currently underway – one with the Saskatchewan Abilities Council in Saskatoon and the other with the Calgary Catholic Immigrant Society. Both of these initiatives are working to pair their respective clientele with employers in the area from now through to the fall of 2016. Information and lessons learned from these projects will be applied to help other similar placements across the country.
Agricultural farm productivity and environmental performance are closely linked to the decisions made from seeding to harvest.
The AgWeather Quebec (AQ) website is a new agricultural management tool producers can count on. Using the site’s weather and climate information (maps, graphs, models, agroclimate indices, real-
Source: Statistics Canada
Over the past five years, cultivated area for blueberry production has INCREASED by
time data, forecasts), which is adapted to their needs, producers can make informed decisions to improve their farm’s productivity and environmental footprint.
“AgWeather Quebec provides weather information that is tailored to the agricultural sector,” says René Audet, an agrometeorologist with Agriculture and AgriFood Canada (AAFC).
“It is an essential tool to support decision making and ensure better management of pests, inputs, production, risks and climate variability.”
Since 2006, AAFC has been responsible for the development work necessary to create and implement a number of AQ management tools.
Controlling insect pests and disease is essential for sufficient production of quality
produce, but it does have an impact on the environment. With AQ, producers can find information that is essential in determining the best time to intervene to protect their crops. More than 40 bioclimatic models from the Computer Centre for Agricultural Pest Forecasting (CIPRA) can be found on the site.
Visit agrometeo.org for more information.
Top five producers of blueberries (high/low bush) in Canada
top Canadian fruit export
$378 million (2014) making up 61.6 per cent of total fruit export value in 2014
(2014)
is the SECOND LARGEST producer of blueberries in the world, second only to the U.S., and is the largest producer of wild blueberries in the world
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A new mobile app has launched to help Albertans seek out Alberta’s Approved Farmers’ Markets.
The free app for Apple and Android is an easy-to-use tool that will link users to up-todate information about market locations, times and dates.
“Alberta’s agriculture and food processing industry thrives on using innovative technology to increase efficiency and find new ways to do business,” said Oneil Carter, Alberta’s Minister of Agriculture and Forestry. “With an increasing cultural shift towards fresh, local foods, this app will help connect Albertans with producers.”
The mobile application will greatly improve the quality, timeliness and consistency of information for market-goers. The app
University of Minnesota releases cold-hardy wine grape
The University of Minnesota released its fifth cold-hardy wine grape, named “Itasca.”
The new grape, which will be used to make dry white wines, is the latest in a series of cold-hardy cultivars released by the university that led to the nascent wine industry in Minnesota and other northern climates around the world. Itasca has lower acidity and high sugar levels, said University of Minnesota grape breeder Matt Clark, coupled with high resistance to common grape pests such as downy and powdery mildew and the insect phylloxera. It’s shown cold hardiness as far north as the U.S. Department of
puts farmers’ market information in the palm of consumers’ hands wherever they are in the province. This interactive app will provide a single source for the most current information on approved farmers’ markets in Alberta.
“Farmers’ markets provide a tremendous opportunity for our agriculture community to showcase the hard work they do to ensure safe and delicious food gets delivered from the farm gate to the dinner plate every day, and to help Albertans see why agriculture is so important to our provincial economy,” said Diane Neubauer, market manager of the Edmonton City Market Downtown.
“I anticipate that the new phone app will be very well received by our customers and vendors.”
Agriculture’s Zone 4.
Licensed nurseries will begin selling the new cultivar in 2017.
Itasca produces a wine that is light yellow to straw in colour and has aromas of pear, quince, violet, melon, minerals, and subtle honey notes.
“This is a very nice grape with lots of potential as a wine maker’s grape,” said Bryan Forbes, the university’s wine maker. “It is clean and pleasant with pear and floral notes and mineral notes with a long finish.”
Itasca joins the grapes known as Frontenac, Frontenac Gris, La Crescent and Marquette, all developed by the University of Minnesota.
Sweet corn hybrids vary in their tolerance to crowding stress. New research identifies genes related to crowding stress tolerance and yield in sweet corn.
This is the first step in breeding new lines that could maximize yield under even greater stress.
Plants grown in high-density or crowded populations often put more energy into growth and maintenance than reproduction. This sensitivity to crowding stress has been observed in some varieties of sweet corn, but other varieties show higher tolerance, producing high yields even in crowded conditions. A recent University of Illinois and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service study attempted to uncover the genetic mechanisms of crowding tolerance in sweet corn.
Researchers measured observable or phenotypic traits for high- and low-yielding hybrids under crowding stress; these included traits known to correlate with crowding stress, such as plant height, leaf area, and time to maturity. Other traits, such as yield, kernel mass, kernel moisture, and fill percentage were also measured. Lastly, the team extracted genetic material from the plants to explore correlations between gene expression patterns and measured traits.
The researchers confirmed a common genetic basis for the yield response in the six hybrids tested. Genes involved with cell growth were prevalent in low-yielding hybrids; these genes may be responsible for delayed flowering under crowding stress. Conversely, genes associated with carbohydrate metabolism were prevalent in high-yielding hybrids; these genes may relate to maintaining yield under crowding stress.
Matthias Oppenlaender was recently elected chair of the Grape Growers of Ontario’s board of directors.
“It is a privilege to be elected chair of the Grape Growers of Ontario’s board of directors, and I look forward to continuing to serve and represent my fellow growers in this new role,” said Oppenlaender. “The board is focused on working with our industry partners and government to continue strengthening Ontario’s grape and wine industry.”
Oppenlaender, his wife Monica, and their five children live in Niagara-on-the-Lake where they farm more than 400 acres of vineyards, and own Country Tyme Vineyards and Huebel Grape Estates.
After almost a decade of negotiation by the B.C. Blueberry Council, China and South Korea signed memorandums of understanding last fall covering fresh blueberry imports. However, protocols are still being finalized and only two small shipments of fresh berries have actually made it to China.
BY DAVID SCHMIDT
BELOW
The efforts the B.C. Blueberry Council have put into developing the Chinese fresh market are well worth it. With a population of 1.4 billion people, it has massive potential and B.C. already has a built-in advantage over many of its competitors.
It is taking a lot longer than expected to get B.C. blueberries into China and South Korea but B.C. Blueberry Council (BCBC) executive director Debbie Etsell continues to push their potential as export markets.
“China is a growing market for blueberries,” she told growers at the recent Pacific Agriculture Show held in Abbotsford, B.C., pointing out Chilean blueberry exports to China have increased from just 200 tonnes in 2012 to 4,000 tonnes last year.
After almost a decade of effort by BCBC, China and South Korea finally signed memorandums of understanding (MOUs) covering fresh blueberry imports last September. However, protocols are still being finalized and, to date, just two small shipments of fresh berries have actually made it to China.
Etsell says the efforts the council has put into developing the Chinese fresh market are well worth it. With a population of 1.4 billion people, it has massive potential and B.C. already has a built-in advantage over many of its competitors.
“China already knows Vancouver. That’s a marketing advantage we don’t have to work on,” says Etsell.
South Korea also offers potential. It has limited local food production so must look to imports to sate its growing appetite.
Etsell says South Korean demand has skyrocketed since a popular local TV show featured blueberries.
“Koreans eat a lot of fruit and love smoothies.”
California blueberry marketing consultant Tom Payne confirmed that, noting South Korea is now the U.S.’s largest frozen blueberry export market.
“Since 2010, there has been over 100 per cent
growth in our Korean market and it now surpasses Japan,” he says.
However, Japan is still the largest fresh market, taking more than half of U.S. fresh blueberry exports.
Packers interested in exploiting those opportunities must meet China and South Korea’s phytosanitary requirements. Exporters must therefore obtain export certificates from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) confirming they meet those requirements, says CFIA horticulture program specialist Barbara Peterson.
Both China and South Korea have zero tolerance for blueberry maggot. If any are found, the export program will be suspended.
Growers must hire third-party IPM consultants and maintain complete pesticide and monitoring records. Early season IPM must be completed by the first week of May.
B.C. Ministry of Agriculture (BCMA) berry specialist Carolyn Teasdale says the IPM consultant needs to provide field maps and monitor for all pests of concern, including SWD, mummyberry, cherry and cranberry fruit worm, rhagoletis, leaf rollers (South Korea) and fruit rot (China). There is a two per cent limit on mummyberry and a five per cent limit on leafrollers. Monitors also need to look for blueberry maggots.
Since the two countries have zero tolerance for blueberry maggot, the program will be suspended “if we find any,” Peterson stressed.
The IPM consultant must monitor fields weekly from pink tip to the end of the harvest and need to inspect at least one to two plants per acre, with a minimum of 12 plants per field.
“China already knows Vancouver. That’s a marketing advantage we don’t have to work on.”
– Debbie Etsell
Growers and packers needed to apply to the CFIA before midFebruary to be considered for an export certificate this year. They must then sign a compliance agreement and register both the packing plant and the field(s) their berries come from with CFIA on an annual basis.
Packing houses need to be GAPcertified, have such pest exclusion devices as insect screens or automatic doors in place, provide product traceability from field to package, handle approved fruit separately, use forced air cooling and test for spotted wing drosophila (SWD). Packing lines can include automated equipment but must also have trained hand sorting to ensure all contaminants are removed. There must be a dedicated work area for CFIA inspectors who will watch the shipments being wrapped.
First found in B.C. blueberry fields five years ago, cherry fruitworms have now spread throughout the Fraser Valley. BCMA entomologist Tracy Hueppelsheuser told growers to set at least one trap per 20 acres, and start searching for eggs as soon as they trap at least six moths. That was the case in 10 of the 28 fields the BCMA monitored for cherry fruit worm last year.
Teasdale says cranberry fruit worm has become a major pest in other blueberry growing areas but has only been found in a few cranberry fields in B.C.
Even though China and South Korea may impose onerous conditions, Payne says growers and packers have “no choice” but to look east for their markets to avoid a confrontation with the wild blueberry sector, which exports most of its berries to Europe.
“If we try to displace them in Europe, they will compete with us in North America and Asia and we can’t afford to lose any of our market,” he says. “We have a billion pounds of blueberries to move.”
BY RONDA PAYNE
Using mulch to improve strawberry and raspberry crop maintenance and plant vigour is nothing new to berry growers. What is, however, is the growth in development and use of biodegradable mulches in berry fields.
A trial of five mulch treatments took place in Mount Vernon, Wash., during the 2014 day-neutral strawberry growing season while a non-scientific study was conducted by raspberry grower Randy Honcoop of Lynden, Wash. The findings of both tests were certainly not conclusive and more research is needed, but there are definitely more than just hints and nudges that biodegradable mulch use could be beneficial to berry crops.
Biodegradable mulch is one that will degrade into the soil upon incorporation. This is different from compostable mulch in that the biodegradable mulches are of starch or cellulose based materials that will shatter after continued exposure to the elements and will break down into the soil.
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BY
Lisa Wasko DeVetter of Washington State University (WSU) in Mount Vernon spoke about the Mount Vernon trial at the recent 2016 Pacific Agriculture Show in Abbotsford, B.C. She noted that traditional mulches present a significant plastic waste issue in the U.S., and this issue is likely similar in Canada. The objectives of her study were to identify if biodegradable mulches are suitable for day-neutral strawberries and see if these mulches have any issues with chemical migration.
Chemical migration is a potential issue because mulches do not currently require the same handling procedures as other food contact materials. If chemicals can leach from the biodegradable materials into the soil or onto the plants, this presents a potential risk.
“There are questions as to whether biodegradable mulches have the potential for chemical migration,” Wasko DeVetter said. “They
A trial of five mulch treatments took place in Mount Vernon, Wash., during the 2014 day-neutral strawberry growing season.
are not currently treated as a food contact substance.”
Five mulch treatments were trialed in Wasko DeVetter’s study: 1) cornstarch based biodegradable mulch, 2) experimental fermentation based biodegradable mulch film, 3) cellulose based biodegradable mulch, 4) standard black plastic (polyethylene) and 5) no mulch.
“My thought was it would create a greenhouse and it did,” Wasko DeVetter said of the mulch’s impact on early results she witnessed in the study.
As expected, yields were comparable for all mulched crops with the unmulched crop yield being lower. However, there were some other differentiators at this early stage of study.
“Number 2 [experimental fermentation based] broke down way too fast,” Wasko DeVetter said.
She added that the third product – the cellulose based paper-like material – may need different installation practices to be most effective. It is important to note that while biodegradable mulches are approved for organic growing in the U.S., the standards imposed are so rigid only
one product meets them.
“The paper-based product blew off multiple times,” she said.
In her summary, Wasko DeVetter noted: “We need more research to understand how this can be applied.”
In another Washington field, Honcoop explored with a trial of biodegradable mulches in his raspberry fields to create a better environment for his tissue culture plug planting.
“I wondered: ‘How can I develop a system that is feasible, manageable for me to use these tissue culture plugs?’” he said during his presentation.
He had two basic criteria at the start of the installation. Honcoop wanted to avoid using black plastic and he needed something to control the weeds that would impede the growth of the tissue cultures.
“I did not want to place polyethylene sheeting in my raspberry field because it does not go away unless you remove it,” Honcoop said.
He ordered 4,000-foot long and 36-inch wide rolls of film from Organix Solutions, a company dedicated to eliminating waste to landfills. It was late May when the process
of installation began.
“I was really late in the game,” he said, “but I really wanted to give this a try.”
Through experimentation with equipment, he developed a tool to punch through the plastic while planting the tissue culture plugs. The beds were created at about five inches above grade with 18 to 20-inch wide tops. Drip tape was installed under the film.
“The plants seemed to establish very well. There was minimal shock,” he said. “The moisture control is fantastic. With the film on there, I think I probably used a third of the amount of water.”
The control row he planted with tissue culture plugs has a lot of weeds, prompting Honcoop to determine the film “did a fantastic job on weed control.”
Given the process of installation, wind did not affect the film, which was snugged under the soil at the edges.
While yields are obviously not available yet from Honcoop’s trial, he felt there was more growth on the cultures in the mulched rows than in the nonmulched control row.
“I think there might be a future for this in our industry,” he added.
Ten per cent of the machine-picked blueberries growers are putting into cold storage is damaged. Berry breeders, researchers and engineers are working on ways to remedy this issue.
BY DAVID SCHMIDT
Since a blueberry is mostly water, any touch has the potential to bruise it. While most human pickers are gentle enough to pick the berries without bruising them, the same cannot be said for mechanical pickers.
Bruising is almost guaranteed when berries drop more than 30 cm onto a hard surface, generally the case on today’s picking machines. As more growers turn to machine picking to offset the increasing cost and decreasing availability of labour, bruising has become more of an issue.
Researchers have developed a new BIRD (blueberry impact recording device) sensor to more accurately measure bruising in mechanical pickers and on packing lines. Roughly the size and shape of a blueberry, the BIRD weighs about six grams and can be dropped in a machine just like a blueberry.
“It’s very good at measuring impact,” says U.S. Department of Agriculture research horticulturist Fumiomi Takeda, who is based at the Appalachian Fruit Station in West Virginia.
The BIRD has shown that no two packing
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Changying “Charlie” Li – an associate professor in engineering at the University of Georgia – holds up the Berry Impact Recording Device (BIRD), which he created. The off-white ball rides along with the berries in the plant while its electronic chip records the bumps and bruises inflicted on the fruit.
lines are the same and has pinpointed transition points as creating the most impacts. Even if each impact is small, the cumulative effect of multiple impacts is enough to create bruising and reduce overall fruit quality.
While the BIRD sensed little damage in hand harvesting, it found severe impacts in picking machines, particularly from the catch plates.
Even if bruises aren’t apparent to the naked eye, they exist, Takeda told growers and packers at the recent Pacific Agriculture Show in Abbotsford, B.C.
“Ten per cent of the [machinepicked] fruit you put into cold storage is damaged.”
Primary ways to lessen bruising are to develop a firmer berry that can stand up to machine picking or to build a picking machine that can handle berries more delicately. Berry breeders, researchers and engineers are working on both options.
“One thing growers can do is pad their catch plates so berries don’t drop straight onto hard plastic.”
“Growers have identified machine harvestability and firmer fruit as their highest priority and that’s one trait we’re focusing on,” says B.C. berry breeder Michael Dossett.
Success is still a long way away. The commercial release of a new variety can take up to 15 years and the B.C. blueberry breeding program is in its ninth year. Even if Dossett releases a new variety in the next six years, there is no indication his earliest selections have the firmness growers want and need.
Takeda says engineers are making some headway, noting they have created a new catcher plate design that “virtually eliminates bruising.”
Another promising design picks from the top using angled rotors and drops the berries onto a soft surface.
“It has the same fruit quality as hand harvesting,” Takeda says.
Researchers have also tried a walka-long unit (not much improvement) and a semi-mechanical machine with
multiple shakers to eliminate some of the mechanical movement.
Last year, Naturipe Farms – one of the world’s leading blueberry growers and marketers – issued the Blue Challenge, inviting “innovators, developers and technology integrators to help transform the way we will harvest blueberries in the future.”
It has promised $10,000 and a joint development agreement for up to five semi-finalists, which were selected in
January and February. The first person to deliver a working prototype with a demonstrable ability to be a viable commercial automated system will receive a $200,000 prize.
While they await a winner, Takeda says one thing growers can do is pad their catch plates so berries don’t drop straight onto hard plastic. Packers should also consider rejigging their lines to reduce the number of transition points.
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Growers, packers and processors who produce berries and other fresh fruit for export to the U.S. will face the new Food Safety Modernization Act as early as this fall.
BY DAVID SCHMIDT
Growers, packers and processors who produce berries and other fresh fruit for export to the U.S. will face new rules as early as this fall.
The new Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) will affect all fresh produce sold in the U.S., says United Fresh Produce Association senior vice-president of food safety and technology, David Gombas.
The FSMA is extremely complex; the seven rules published to date (there are more to come) already cover more than 5,000 pages, Gombas told blueberry growers at the recent Pacific Agriculture Show in Abbotsford, B.C. One of those rules – the Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) –affects Canadian exporters. Depending on the size
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of the exporter and the type of crop, it could take effect as early as September.
The U.S. has backed away from its initial effort to make the FSVP stricter than its rules for domestic product. Under the final rule, foreign suppliers must meet the same public health standards as domestic suppliers.
“Everything [in both the act and the rules] is aimed at food safety,” Gombas says.
The rule does not apply directly to Canadian entities – instead importers must be able to demonstrate their suppliers meet the U.S. standards before they are allowed to import product.
“Importers need to have an approved suppliers’
Under the Food Safety Modernization Act, compost use is acceptable but there are strict rules for untreated or only partially-treated soil amendments of animal origin (manure).
The U.S. has backed away from its initial effort to make the Foreign Supplier Verification Program stricter than its rules for domestic product. Under the final rule, foreign suppliers must meet the same public health standards as domestic suppliers.
list, which you want to be on,” Gombas states.
For a supplier to get on the list, the importer must review the supplier’s records and ensure it has food safety protocols. If the product to be imported is deemed a SAHCODHA (serious adverse health consequences or death to humans or animals) hazard, second (customer) or third (independent certified) party audits will also be required. Since berries have been vehicles for such SAHCODA hazards as salmonella, E. coli and listeria, Gombas expects they will require on-site audits.
“Importers may [at their option] accept a CanadaGAP audit but will need a copy of the audit report,” he says.
Canada and the U.S. are hoping to have an equivalency acknowledgement (currently only New Zealand has received such recognition from the U.S.), in place before the FSVP comes into effect. That would mean that the U.S. would accept a Canadian Food Inspection Agency declaration that the grower, packer or processor is compliant.
The requirements are less severe if all fresh products go to a further processor
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in the U.S. rather than if all or part of it goes straight into the retail marketplace. There are also different requirements for on- and off-farm packers and processors. Growers, on-farm packers and off-farm packers (e.g., co-ops) who get at least 50 per cent of their product from their grower-owners are treated the same and have to meet fewer requirements than other off-farm packers.
Large operations (500+ employees) will have to meet the new FSVP rules in September while the requirements for smaller operations and growers will be phased in over four years beginning in May 2017.
“Not all the requirements have been decided yet,” Gombas notes.
One of the stickiest points is agricultural water, which will require a lot of testing to ensure it is completely potable. Compost use is acceptable but there are strict rules for untreated or only partially-treated soil amendments of animal origin (manure).
For more information on the act, please visit fda.gov/Food/ GuidanceRegulation/FSMA/.
The following is a synopsis of a trade panel discussion in which members from the grocery trade answered six questions poised by moderator, Michael Ecker, Vineland Growers’ Co-op. This event occurred at the 2015 Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Conference (OFVC).
BY HUGH MCELHONE
1What potential do you see for locally grown organics in the next five to 10 years, and is a price differential on organic versus conventional sustainable over the long term?
Crystal Cottrill, Loblaw Co.
“Yes, absolutely sustainable. Speaking in broad terms for the whole year, not just locally, we can’t get enough. In fact, demand far outweighs supply. With local stone fruit, I only received 0.002 per cent of my purchases as organic and my service level was probably about five per cent,” she said. Growers need to look at organics as an investment.
“Local grapes are another story. We’ve been carrying them for about three years now and it grows about 10 per cent a year. With respect to the price differential, if we can keep it within a dollar per unit then sales are very steady. If we go above that then sales go down, but if it’s close to conventional than consumers will switch to organic. Of course, cost depends on volume so it may be a challenge for the first few years. But it is accepted for consumers to pay more for organics if you stay within the threshold,” she said.
Oleen Smethurst, Costco Canada
They just started dabbling in organics and found some consumers were surprised that organic stone fruit exists. The premium price, if not too high, is important and is coming in line with more commodities. “There is definitely a market for it,” she said.
Robert Periera, Sobeys
seeing double-digit growth in what they have. “The price gap needs to exist so consumers understand there is a difference but it also needs to shrink,” she said. In the U.S., she has seen similar pricing for organics, but the key difference is smaller packaging.
Michael Ecker, Vineland Growers’ Co-op
They had some success with grapes and growers find them easy to produce organically. Peaches and stone fruit in general are a bit more difficult in this climate but there are opportunities and there have been some successes, he said.
At the end of the day, the number one concern for consumers is buying locally, followed by organic. If you have both, then you are satisfying the customer need that exists. As for price, he said organic consumers understand what drives that cost and accept the gap in price.
Gabriela Yung, Walmart
They have a very limited organic offering at Walmart but are
2Are private label brands important to the growth of your company in the fresh produce department and where do you see this in five to 10 years?
YUNG: Definitely, the private label is mandated in their company’s strategy with general merchandise. As they grow in scale, they are just starting to explore the feasibility of the private label with fresh produce, she said.
PERIERA: This is a big element in organics. Private labels are strong in packaged products and have a strong presence in their future outlook. “It is something we can capitalize on any innovation that comes into the category of the department and leverage it from that perspective.”
SMETHURST: “It’s very important to have the grower brand on the label. It’s your product, it’s your quality and consumers want to know where it’s coming from,” she said.
COTTRILL: Private brand is very important to us. Last year, 30 per cent of total sales, including grocery, were private brand and 25 per cent of all produce were private brand, which is a 50 per cent growth. There are a few reasons why they use private
labels; it groups growers and produce, which reduces labels and helps keep it clean at the cash; it helps promote mature labels that may be a bit stagnant with promotions and increased marketing.
They don’t want to lose the farm feel so with the farmers’ market they try to tell a story, with a grower bio and photos. “This instills a sense of pride in the grower and consumers build confidence in the product,” she said.
3What is the market opportunity for new varieties such as plumcots and pluots?
PERIERA: “The opportunity is all about relevancy and the innovation that comes into the category. We have to continue to refresh our offering over time and continue to drive that excitement into our department,” he said. This includes telling the grower’s story, plus telling consumers what these new varieties are and include taste profile applications. To remain relevant in the customers’ eyes, that’s were the opportunity is.
SMETHURST: “This is a huge opportunity and one of my pet peeves,” she said. They have had huge success promoting plumcots, pluots, as well as apriums in California. “We can’t keep the product on the floor so the opportunity is immense. It’s frustrating that we are so far behind in Canada with new varieties needing 15 years for development. It would expand the industry. The flavours and profiles are amazing, some of the best fruit I’ve ever eaten and we don’t have it here,” she said.
YUNG: “It’s a growth item for us. We actually found that it’s not a replacement, it’s like canabalizing the plum category. It’s a complimentary item. So we are seeing 20 per cent growth year after year and we branded plumcots out of California, and the shame of it all is we carry U.S. fruit through the summer … because I can’t get it locally,” she said. When it is available in 15 years, there will be growth potential, definitely.
COTTRILL: ”We brought in pluots from Chile and they are doing really well. People are interested in trying new products, new varieties. We just need to educate them so the consumers know. That will bring in the excitement that Robert was talking about,” she said.
4
What innovations in technology and practices have you seen in other areas of the world that you would feel Ontario fruit growers could look at adapting to improve the quality of the product?
SMETHURST: “Go to the U.K. They are far advanced in packaging and it’s beneficial to the product visibility and product quality,” she said. Everyone is trying to reduce plastics and reduce costs through higher technology and this should be encouraged.
COTTRILL: “The U.K. is definitely more advanced than we are in packaging. Look at what you can do at your own packing facilities … because your fruit is tree ripened, ensure pre-cooling, make sure it is cold and not breaking that cold chain is likely the best thing you can do,” she said. In other areas, there is increasing use of stainless steel lines, which reduces bacteria, GPS planting to maximize orchard space, and different sorting technology out of New Zealand that uses infrared to check for blemishes.
PERIERA: “Cold storage again is important,” he said referring to its use in cherry production in Washington state. “It comes down to capital investment. There is a lot of technology out there and it’s whatever fits your business model best,” he said.
YUNG: “With what I’ve seen with stone fruit, any technology that lessens handling of the fruit is best ... but you have to spend a lot of money for this technology,” she said. On one farm, she said the fruit is touched only once before it goes to packing, which has resulted in 30 per cent less throws, plus it reduces labour costs.
5
Do you see an opportunity for fresh cut, sliced or processed stone fruit in the future and where?
PERIERA: “Yes, to offer a convenient local offering to our consumer is something we absolutely want to take an opportunity on,” he said. It’s more difficult with in-store preparation but it’s something they want to explore in the future.
YUNG: “Definitely, but it has to be at a retail that is acceptable for consumers to have to pay a bit more… we are interested but have to justify the cost,” she said.
SMETHURST: Selling something that is prepared the way we want to eat it is a challenge, such as mangoes so they don’t taste like green apples. “If it could be done properly, it would be hugely important,” she said.
COTTRILL: “The only place you can find a pre-cut peach is on the shelf in a Delmonte or Dole can. There is definitely a demand for it,” she said, and she had recently met with a grower who was looking at buying the technology for selling a processed pre-cut peach.
6
How has the increase in immigration influenced your stone fruit offering and are there opportunities for local growers?
COTTRILL: They have introduced white flesh peaches and nectarines nationally, and promoted them hard over the last two years. They have fast become a mainstream item. As a result, sales of mature categories like yellow plums and apricots are also selling well, she said.
SMETHURST: “Our focus is to get the best eating fruit out there. If it tastes good, people will buy it,” she said.
PERIERA: “We are definitely bringing in the fruits relevant to that customer base… even more than the immigration aspect, the social media and food networks are emphasizing those taste profiles and the customer’s changing palates,” he said. They are also exploring varieties in different formats such as the cut program, as well as the origin of the fruit, both locally and internationally, with its different taste profiles, plus educating consumers on the fruit available.
YUNG: “Stone fruits are very mainstream so it’s not new to the ethnic customer but what we did notice was that a lot of them from the south-Asian and Asian demographic, they prefer ripened fruit and high brix,” she said.
One-of-a-kind brew from snack production makes this brewery farm an award-winning venture
BY TREENA HEIN
John Picard, owner of Ramblin’ Road Brewery in La Salette, Ont., was raised on a farm, worked tobacco fields through his teens and studied economics as a young adult. He always had it “in his blood” to return to farming.
That passion, in addition to things like new equipment availability, have allowed Picard to create Ontario’s first and only “brewery farm,” where he grows hops, makes beer, makes kettle chips and has created a very unique product that couldn’t be made anywhere else.
Picard’s brewery farm adventure began in 2004, when Picard found suitable property to purchase. In 2006, the equipment necessary for
the production of craft beer became available, and he was keen.
“How to develop a craft beer business on the farm was the question,” he remembers. “We started with planting 3,600 hops rhizomes that year and it went well. It evolved into the brewery project, which started in 2010.”
By 2012, he and his team were proudly introducing the people of Norfolk County to their first locally brewed craft beer. Ramblin’ Road current offerings include a lager, ale and pilsner – as well as another brew that is very special.
The uniqueness of this particular beer is
ABOVE Ramblin’ Road’s Premium Dakota Pearl Potato Ale is directly related to the uniqueness of the kettle chips that John Picard started making when he bought the farm in 2004.
directly related to the uniqueness of the kettle chips that Picard had started making when he bought the farm in 2004. Picard wanted the snacks to stand out with a full-bodied flavour, and had come up with the idea to take the raw sliced potatoes and bathe them in beer stock to achieve this.
“Creating unique food products has always been a passion of mine, and the market for these kettle chips was already there,” Picard says. “People in bars and pubs are looking for local, unique and high-quality snacks. We just recognized this market and offered the consumer a distinct product in both processing and flavour.”
One day, Picard eyed the lager beer stock that they bathed the potato slices in, and wondered what would happen if he tried to take it all the way to beer. It was a simple lager, and using professional consultation, he was able to take the liquid and very carefully measure its acquired starches. It was hoped, and proven to be true, that the “potato sugars” would create a very distinctive smoothness in the final beer.
These sugars, Picard would also learn, also offer a touch of sweetness from the start, which continues to evolve in the aging process, creating what he calls “an amazingly distinctive product.” In addition to measuring how much potato starch was present, Picard needed to bring it to a consistent volume in order to have the right final desired alcohol content. An enzymatic reaction process does the trick, controlling how much breakdown of starch occurs, allowing all processing parameters to be calculable and factored into the finished product, and eliminating all concerns for beer deterioration and oxidation.
Ensuring the process was repeatable was also a tough thing to accomplish.
“There are differences in potato quality, due to things like whether it’s a new crop or a stored crop,” Picard notes. “We didn’t know how the sugars would vary through the season.”
It took six months of trials to optimize the process and guarantee quality. At that point, Ramblin’ Road Premium Dakota Pearl Potato Ale was born.
“When we tasted it, it was fabulous and has been our number one seller since its introduction.”
Ramblin’ Road has seen a doubling in demand for both its Dakota Pearl ale and its kettle chips over the last two years, and this growth continues.
“We’re just beginning to establish networks for product distribution,” Picard explains. “Currently, we supply a few retail outlets from Chatham to the Bruce Peninsula. The snack products are seeing expanded market opportunities and great repeat sales. Locally, the beer distribution has been serviced primarily in Norfolk, with a few specialty accounts in restaurants in Oxford and the Kitchener-Waterloo area. This year, we are creating a delivery system for those enquiries outside of this area, and we currently have had over 20 enquiries.”
To create all his brews, Picard grows 3.7 acres of hops, with varieties that possess varying degrees of bitterness, flavouring and aromatics. Those currently used in production are Mt. Hood, Nugget, Fuggle, Cascade
