News and Stories

A significant heat spike is expected for several West Coast growing regions, starting today and persisting through Sunday, July 8. Inland areas throughout the Salinas Valley will see temperatures in the upper 90s to low 100s; coastal areas will see low to mid-80s. Temperatures will cool slightly, but will remain above-normal through the second week of July.

Heat-related quality and shelf-life issues are expected to develop in various row crops from the Salinas, Santa Maria, and Oxnard regions. These issues include, but are not limited to the follwing:

Lettuce Items

• Dehydration
• Internal burn
• Short shelf-life
• Sun scalding

Strawberries

• Bruising
• Decreased size
• Over-ripe berries
• Short shelf-life
• Soft texture

Tender Leaf Items (Arugula/Cilantro, Spring Mix, etc.)

• Dehydration
• Early breakdown
• Short shelf-life
• Yellowing leaves

Cold-chain management will be especially critical throughout the supply chain for maximizing quality and shelf-life during this current heat spike and beyond.  

Please contact your Markon customer support representative for more information.

John Galvez

Quality Assurance

markon.com

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