I often sing the praises of artichokes being easy to prepare, fun to eat and a great ingredient in salads to desserts. However, today I want to make sure that you are aware of the superior nutrition benefits found in this edible flower bud! Immunity and nutrition is top of mind for many of now as we protect ourselves from cold and flu season (COVID too).

Fresh Express launched a newly refreshed website, designed to enhance the online experience and make it easier than ever for consumers to find, review and enjoy more than 320 delicious, nutritious and convenient recipes.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency welcomed seven companies to the U.S. Food Loss and Waste 2030 Champions, companies that have committed to reducing food loss and waste in their U.S. operations by 50 percent by 2030. The new 2030 Champions are Albertsons Cos., BJ’s Wholesale Club, Danone North America, Smithfield Foods Inc., Starbucks, Sysco and Tyson Foods.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has imposed sanctions on five produce businesses for failing to meet contractual obligations to the sellers of produce they purchased and failing to pay reparation awards issued under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act. These sanctions include suspending the businesses’ PACA licenses and barring the principal operators of the businesses from engaging in PACA-licensed business or other activities without approval from USDA.

The following businesses and individuals are currently restricted from operating in the produce industry:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced today that its avocado inspection program in Michoacan, Mexico has restarted and avocado exports to the United States have resumed.

APHIS, working closely with the U.S. Embassy in Mexico’s Regional Security Officer, Mexico’s national plant protection organization, and the Association of Avocado Producers and Packers Exporters of Mexico have enacted additional measures that enhance safety for APHIS’ inspectors working in the field, following a threat made to an employee on Feb. 11.  

The grape market is high right now as imports from Chile and Peru are tight. According to Markon, prices are easing and volume is rising. Company officials said, “importers continue to battle shipping delays from South America, but the situation is slowly improving.”

For both red and green grapes, Markon said the market has started to inch down due to increased supplies as Chilean green grapes will be on the market until mid-May and Peruvian supplies will ship through mid-March. Mexican stocks will become available by mid-May.