The Pelican Edge
Spring 2021
EXPERTISE
FRESH PRODUCE & COMMODITY MARKET AT A GLANCE
Sue Tompsett, Supply Chain Mobilisation Manager
Sue Tompsett, Supply Chain Mobilisation Manager, has put together a fresh produce and commodity market update, giving you the quick lowdown on the key factors behind product availability and price movement in the marketplace. Spring is all about looking forward, with summer edging closer each day some early summer produce is starting to appear. Spring can also have its seasonal pitfalls with a few products in transition.
Fruit & vegetables update
Potential quality issues Baby Plum & Cherry (Spain) High brix on ‘older’ fruit means there’s a continuing risk of splitting / mould growth in transit
Vegetables The first of the Tunnel Jersey Royal Potatoes will be arriving shortly, but please remember the early ones are always expensive! These will come from the covered crops, so expect to pay hefty bucks until the outdoor harvest begins in earnest. Later this month the first of the Cyprus Potato will be available. Grown in distinctive golden soil which really enhances the flavour, they will boil, chip, roast, and make a quite sublime mash. English Cauliflower from all regions is good quality. Spanish Broccoli is still very good and coming through
nice and green. New-season Globe and Purple Artichoke will be available. English Savoy is now making way for European stock from both Portugal and France. Prices will increase as a result.
Peppers (Spain) Shelf-life issues continue on yellow and red fruit, especially from older vines. Some colour break may be seen as growers try and combat this. Some yellow and orange fruit need to be picked slightly backward to enhance shelf life - this means there is a risk of 25% colour break
Fruit & salad English and French season Apple still has good availability but will look at moving over to the Southern hemisphere in the next 4-6 weeks. We may get the first glimpse of English Strawberries but this all depends on the weather. We are now getting closer to where the Salad season starts to change from Spanish to Dutch with English following within the next 4-6 weeks. Expect some turbulence with pricing and quality as the old season finishes and the new season gets underway.
Spring Greens (UK) Weather damage to outer leaves. Smaller product as affected leaves are being removed Savoy Cabbage (UK) Crop damaged by heavy rainfall, flooding and frost. All outer leaves need to be removed leading to a pale coloured head. Once trimmed down some crops are not making 300g
Commodity Market Report continues on the next page
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