News and Stories

The iceberg market will continue to decline into early next week; cooler temperatures have bolstered yields and normalized harvesting and production. Lasting impact from abnormally high temperatures and several heat spikes over the past four weeks in the Salinas Valley are continuing to cause industry-wide quality problems. Warm weather has affected crops in all stages of growth, causing inconsistent textures, lower weights, oversized ribs, and seeder/long core.

Commodity Iceberg

• The cooler temperatures forecast for the next 5 to 10 days will ease heat-related problems
• If there are light showers this week, harvesting capabilities may be affected; dirt and mud to be present in finished packs
• A wide range in quality persists throughout the industry, including bottom rot, internal burn, mildew, seeder, and weak tip
• Liner iceberg carton weights will range from 40 to 44 pounds per case
• Markon First Crop Premium Iceberg is sporadic due to quality problems and low weights; Markon Best Available will be substituted as needed

Ready-Set-Serve (RSS) Iceberg

• Problems like core pieces (due to seeder), internal burn, light mildew, premature pinking, and weak tip may be evident in some finished packs
• RSS Iceberg packs are available

Markon inspectors are monitoring quality very closely and will report any changes. Maintaining the cold chain is critical; ordering for quick turns is recommended. Suppliers are making harvesting/processing adjustments in order to minimize issues.

Please contact your Markon customer service representative for more information.

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