News and Stories

Persistent freezing temperatures throughout the Arizona/California desert growing region over the past 12 days have begun to affect raw and finished product quality in select RSS items. Epidermal blistering and peeling caused by severe lettuce ice is becoming more prevalent in lettuces and tender leaf items throughout the industry. Over the next several weeks, many RSS blends, salads, and shreds, as well as some tender leaf packs will exhibit frost-related quality issues. Below are industry-wide quality concerns operators can expect to see throughout the month of January and perhaps longer:

Arugula

• Dehydration and wilting will become the most significant issues due to arugula’s high sensitivity to temperature fluctuations
• Yellow discoloration will diminish the overall appearance of the product
• Elevated levels of mechanical damage may be present
• Premature breakdown and/or shortened shelf-life will be a concern

Chopped Romaine & Romaine-Based Blends

• Epidermal blistering and peeling, dehydration, yellowing, and brown discoloration at the peel will be present in finished packs
• Romaine will be lighter in color, as more outer leaves are removed (which are typically darker in color) to reduce the amount of defects in the pack
• Premature breakdown and/or shortened shelf-life will be a concern

Iceberg-Based Salads & Shreds

• Epidermal blistering and peeling, as well as occasional brown discoloration at the peel will be present in finished packs
• Salad blends and shreds will be lighter in color, as more damaged outer leaves are removed to reduce defects
• Dehydration and wilting may become noticeable sooner
• Premature breakdown and/or shortened shelf-life will be concerns

 Spinach & Spring Mix

• Dehydration and wilting will occur in some baby leaf varieties
• Yellow discoloration in some green varieties will diminish the overall appearance of the product
• Elevated levels of mechanical damage may be present
• Premature breakdown and/or shortened shelf-life will be concerns

Washed & Trimmed Green Leaf & Romaine and Whole Fillets

• Epidermal blistering and peeling will be present in both whole head and fillet packs
• Dehydration, wilting, and yellow discoloration may also be problems
• Premature breakdown and/or shortened shelf-life will be concerns

 
Please contact your Markon customer service representative for more information.

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