Normally, a demand-exceeds-supply situation, along with the ensuing strong pricing, would be welcome news to a shipper. But when a market is as tight as the current potato market, no one really benefits.

“The market is high, supplies are extremely tight and everyone is looking for product,” Art Miller, owner of Epic Produce Sales, which is based in Phoenix and sources a large portion of its potatoes from Colorado, told The Produce News on Aug. 11. “We’re still using our storage crop but we’ve had to cut back on orders to make it to the finish line.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture imposed sanctions on Farm Fresh Packers LLC in Pompano Beach, FL, for violating the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act. These sanctions include barring the business and the principal operators of the business from engaging in PACA-licensed business or other activities without approval from USDA.

The International Fresh Produce Association announced its slate of new directors for the 2023 IFPA board of directors. The volunteer leaders will be confirmed by a ballot shared with membership and their board term will begin at the end of October.

The Pacific NW organic pear crop looks promising, as estimates point to an increase in volume over last year.

Kowalski’s Markets, the family-owned grocery retailer with 11 stores based in Woodbury, MN, announced that recently they started to offer Fyffes Fair Trade Certified Bananas.

On Tuesday, Aug. 9, Weis Markets store managers and specialists from the Company’s New Jersey and Northeast Pennsylvania stores volunteered with America’s Grow-A-Row in Pittstown, NJ. America’s Grow-A-Row partners with organizations local to its farms to harvest and distribute fresh produce to food insecure families.