News and Stories

Strong demand and tight supplies are causing the iceberg market to rise; current quality is very good, but insect damage, mildew pressure, small head size, and sun scalding are becoming minor problems. Warm temperatures, followed by overcast/humid conditions in the Salinas Valley have increased quality concerns in most commodity and value-added items. Growers are monitoring and adjusting harvests and production lines to maximize shelf-life and minimize quality issues.

Iceberg

• The market continues to rise
• Demand is strong for both whole-head cartons and processed items; stocks are tightening
• Markon First Crop Premium Iceberg Lettuce is sporadic due to inconsistent weights; Markon Best Available will be substituted as needed
• Expect elevated prices through next week

Salinas Valley Heat

• Most commodity lettuce volume will climb, but recent heat could cause bracketing, dehydration, fringe burn, higher respiration rates, increased insect pressure, seeders, and twisting in lettuces
• Broccoli crops may exhibit hollow core
• Expect soft texture in strawberries that could lead to bleeding, bruising, smaller size, and mechanical damage
• Feathering will increase in asparagus tips
• Markon expects heat-related defects to occur over the next 7 to 10 days

Tender Leaf Quality

• Markon suppliers of Ready-Set-Serve Arugula, Spinach, and Spring Mix have initiated summertime Standard Operating Practices (SOPs)
• Although these SOPs will reduce the number of cases produced per hour, the techniques are gentler on the product
• Sporadic quality issues such as brittle texture, elevated mechanical damage, high respiration rates, and shortened shelf-life may increase
• Growers continue to monitor incoming quality more stringently in order to select the best available supplies

Please contact your Markon customer service representative for more information.

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