Dole Fresh Vegetables Inc. is recalling from the market all Dole-branded and private label packaged salads processed at its Bessemer City, NC, and its Yuma, AZ, production facilities due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. and is also temporarily suspending operations at both facilities to conduct an extensive cleaning and sanitation protocol. The company estimated the one-off cost associated with this temporary suspension will be between $15 million and $25 million.

Crop One Holdings, which has been attempting to perfect and advance its data and technology-driven vertical farming practices, expects to open a large-scale operation in the Middle East in 2022 and grow at a rate of one large facility per year over the next five years.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, along with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state and local partners, is working to investigate a multistate outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections associated with the consumption of packaged salad. To date, this outbreak has been associated with 10 illnesses, 10 hospitalizations and one death spanning eight states.

Cold temperatures in the California and Arizona desert growing regions are causing ice to form on lettuce crops. While no immediate quality impact is expected, Markon Cooperative’s quality assurance inspectors are actively monitoring for ice-related challenges in the coming days.

The lettuce market has improved and is dropping in price. We are now into the new desert harvest. Varieties of Iceberg, green leaf, red leaf, Romaine and Butter lettuce are all reported in good, steady supply.

After a period of low volume and high costs, lettuce is now readily available. Customer demand will certainly pick up during the approaching holidays with salads on the dinner menu. Lettuce is a staple and always ideal for ad promoting.

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration announced the release of a proposed revision to Subpart E (Agricultural Water) of the Produce Safety Rule Dec. 2, and while that may mean change is coming for some in the produce industry that's not the case for key growers in Arizona and California.

The LGMA food-safety programs in Arizona and California have conducted an initial review of FDA’s proposal and have determined that the LGMA requirements appear to meet and exceed what is in the proposed new rule.