A Cartoon from Chuck 

Freezes felt in Lee, Collier County Produce Aisles

By Laura Ruane – News-Press January 8, 2011

Some produce shoppers are feeling the price pinch after December’s three freezes battered Southwest Florida crops.

“Fruit and vegetables are through the roof,” said April Hyndman, 47, Fort Myers mother of two and a discount shopper.

The picture after the third freeze, Dec. 26-68, actually is mixed: Some prices are up, others down.

Experts say scarcity and prices aren’t as bad as last winter, when — after January’s killer freezes some restaurants put tomatoes in salads and sandwiches only upon buyers’ request.

They credit several factors, including the salvaging of some Florida crop, replanting in the Sunshine State and an influx of produce from Mexico .

“Will we see $6-a -pound retail for tomatoes? No, but you might see them as high as $3.49 a pound,” said Chuck Weisinger, a Fort Myers-based fruit broker and president of Weis-Buy Farms Inc.

At the Oasis restaurant in downtown Fort Myers , however, kitchen manager Kyle Fortuna said he’s had no problems getting produce, noting: “We’re getting our tomatoes right now at a fairly good price.”

Fritz Roka is the Immokalee-based agriculture economist for the University of Florida ’s Institute of Food & Agricultural Sciences. “With so much produce coming in from Mexico , it’s not necessarily true that prices will go up for every commodity,” Roka said. Broker Weisinger said from about now

through early April as much as 90 percent of cucumbers, peppers, squash and beans will come from Mexico . “That’s normal,” he said.

Shannon Patten, spokeswoman for Lakeland-based Publix Super Markets Inc., wouldn’t discuss specific produce prices — past present or future. The freezes and any resulting price changes are “an industry issue, not a Publix issue,” Patten said. The Publix at First Street Village in downtown Fort Myers on Thursday listed green bell peppers at $2.49 a pound; zucchini (Mexico) at $2.49 a pound; and green beans at $2.99 a pound. Cucumbers from Mexico were 99 cents each. Strawberries were $2.99 a pound.

Before the first freeze on Dec. 6, “we were selling cucumbers two for a dollar,” said Bill Reners, Southwest Florida operations chief for the area’s Save-A-Lot discount food stores. That shot up to one cucumber for 99 cents shortly after the Dec. 26-28 freeze, “with ... everybody else charging over a dollar,” Reners said.

When a main vegetable supplier in Wauchula lost most crops to the freezes, “we had to go more south — to the Miami-Homestead area, to Immokalee — and to Mexico ,” Reners said.

The most-recent weekly federal survey available Friday for advertised prices of produce at major retail supermarket outlets showed a mixture of ups and downs:In Southeastern U.S. stores, plum

(Roma) tomatoes fetched an average price of 98 cents a pound as of Dec. 30. That’s down from $1.26 a pound Dec. 3. Green bell peppers, however, shot up from $1.49 to $1.64 a pound on average, between Dec. 3-30.

Earlier this week, Reners passed on buying strawberries from Plant City , where the December chill slowed growth, but didn’t devastate the crop. The prices were just too high to pass along, Reners said: “People won’t buy them when they’re at $3.39-$3.99 a pint,” Reners said, noting: “They might at Publix, but our shopper won’t.”

Hyndman hits the fruit stands for produce in season, swaps extras with friends, and will buy from
Publix — “whatever they’ve got on sale.”

On Friday, Hyndman packed her daughter a school lunch featuring a chicken sandwich garnished with
store-bought salsa. She tells her son and daughter: “Have you seen the price of tomatoes?”

Nogales Annual Produce Convention                 November 10, 2010

Michael Shapiro just returned from the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas 42^nd annual convention. He renewed many of our relationships. This was the second year in a row that Michael attended this event. He visited many of the offices and warehouses in Nogales in which we ship from. A large amount of quality Mexican produce enters the U.S. in Nogales . Such items as round tomatoes, roma tomatoes, grape tomatoes, green and colored pepper, cucumbers, eggplant and squash is available. Kenny Olmos Jr and Steve Arellano was generous host for Michael. Big Michael Dean of Mother Truckers helped guide Michael around during his visits to shipping offices.

                 Jim Hardin                                                           Danny Connell

               Manny Fajardo                                                     Danny Carosilva

                  Kenny Olmos Jr                                         Rafael Felix and Justin Lombardi  

    Jessica Southard and Brent Harrison                  Atanacio Panousopoulos & Kenny Olmos  

         Mike Shapiro and Jason Bolin                             Jeff Wright and Dave Spellmire

The PMA Fresh Summit – Orlando , Florida – October 2010

Thank goodness the PMA finally happened and it’s over. My feet hurt now and I’ll be yours do too. I wore a pedometer (a PMA gift). It counted 23,100 steps and I’ll some of us walked more than that.

The show motivated myself, Michael Shapiro, and the boys who stayed home to mind the store. We all want to work harder so we can play harder. We have great ideas and quality produce. I became addicted to Rambutan!

Chuck Weisinger  

Owner

Weis-Buy Farms

Check out these photos of Chuck with some of WeisBuy’s friends.

                    Pal Brooks – Brooks Tropicals                               Montie McGovern – Frank’s Distributing

                    Paul Ryan – Katzman Produce                           Jackie Caplan Wiggins & Karen Caplan - Frieda’s  

  Luisanna and Kenny Olmos – Kenny’s Produce           David Neill and Patrick Engle – Big Red Tomato

                          The Blue Girls                                           David Cook - Deardorff Family Farms 

        Jamie Weisinger of 6 L’s and his Dad                              John Cefalu - G. Cefalu & Sons  

Low markets on tomatoes damage relationships

By Doug Ohlemeier – The Packer – 7/1/10

As most of Florida ’s tomato harvesting has been winding down with production shifting to the Mid-Atlantic states and the start of the various smaller summertime deals, the difficulties tomato marketers experienced this spring left a bitter taste in their mouths.

Grower-shippers invest millions making sure their crops mature and are ready for sale at retail.

Batista Madonia Jr., vice president of sales and operations for East Coast Brokers and Packers Inc., Plant City , Fla. , is visibly disappointed with the support his operation received from retailers after a flush of tomatoes finally started refilling packinghouses after unfavorable winter and spring growing conditions.

He was selling large mature-green tomatoes for $3 a box plus the industry’s $1.95 handling charge.

Madonia said growers felt betrayed by retail marketers who did not stand by them when the growing end experienced oversupply and price problems.

“I don’t know what it costs to take the tomatoes off a truck and put them on the shelf, but it costs growers a lot more to do all the work and get them to the consumers,” he said.

“We do believe everyone is entitled to a fair profit margin, but when we lose $3-4 for every box we pack and retail prices don’t change, we have a dysfunctional system that can only be changed with the consumer.”

Like other growers, Stephen Madonia Sr., Batista Madonia’s brother and vice president of operations who oversees growing operations, missed many nights of sleep trying to salvage product for the operation’s customers.

“We stayed out all night when we had freezes, night after night, making sure we had supplies,” Batista Madonia said.

“But when we have a crop to sell, we don’t get support from retail. If we cannot survive, we will be dependent upon other countries to feed us like we are with oil, TVs and washers and dryers. The one thing we need to be able to have is a food source made in America .”

Because of the effort they put into producing their crops, growers say they don’t want to receive bottom-market prices when supplies return to normal.

Chuck Weisinger, president and chief executive officer of broker Weis-Buy Farms Inc., Fort Myers , Fla. , said the sudden plunge in prices sellers endured this season wasn’t normal.

“We are getting more wild swings in the tomato business than I have ever seen,” he said.

“This is becoming more like the vegetable business where we get those large swings, like in the stock market. Receivers have to watch what they’re doing even more than what they have done in the past, and have to work with people that will help them out.”

On one morning, Weisinger said prices for the highest grade extra-large 5x6 tomatoes dropped from $19.95 to $13.95 within three hours, a steep fall from prices that aren’t normally that high.

A grower-shipper of other vegetables told me they all sell to the same customers and that what happened to Florida tomato growers wasn’t any different than what the cabbage deal experienced when a delayed deal plunged prices after the St. Paddy’s Day push.

In mid-June, tomato prices began to stabilize and increased a little to $7.95 for 5x6s, 6x6s and 6x7s but then declined to $6.95 for those same sizes later in the month.

Florida tomato prices are beginning to drop as a tardy winter-ravaged crop finally begins to bring promotable volume to the market.
 
The later starting central Florida deal is also expected to run longer than normal and overlap with the north Florida deal which starts in early June.
 

Doug Ohlemeier

After being damaged by January freezes and unfavorable growing conditions since, Florida's tomatoes in early May are beginning to return to volume. Central Florida's deal is running late and is expected to overlap with north Florida production.

After being damaged by January freezes and unfavorable growing conditions since, Florida's tomatoes in early May are beginning to return to volume. Central Florida's deal is running late and is expected to overlap with north Florida production.

While south Florida harvesting was winding down in early to mid-May, growers had started harvesting light volume in central Florida.
 
Tony DiMare, vice president of the DiMare Co., Homestead, Fla., said he expects promotable volume to begin in the Pal-metto, Fla.-Ruskin, Fla. region on May 20, about 10-14 days later than normal.
 
Central Florida normally begins light harvesting April 20-25 with volume hitting around May 10.
 
Most central Florida growers were either just getting started or preparing to start, DiMare said on May 11.
 
“There have been some rougher tomatoes (this winter) because of the wind and cold,” DiMare said. “But the Palmetto-Ruskin area has had very good growing weather the last couple of months. We will see some of the best quality tomatoes the state has had this year.”
 
While winter’s cold created a shortage of large-sized tomatoes, DiMare said the central Florida deal should bring an abun-dance of extra larges, the 5x6s.
 
Chuck Weisinger, president and chief executive officer of broker Weis-Buy Farms Inc., Fort Myers, Fla., said buyers should see a major shift in prices and that the market won’t settle until May 14-18.
 
“There is a wide range of prices this morning,” he said May 12. “There is a range as much as 30% in pricing. I think we are looking at a more stable market than we have had all winter. We will sell product like we do for more normal prices in the next month or so.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture in mid-May reported 25-pound cartons of loose mature greens 85% U.S. No. One or better from south Florida selling for $19.95 for 5x6s, $17.95 for 6x6s and $15.95 for 6x7s.
 
That’s lower than the $23.95 that the 5x6s sold for, $21.95 for the 6x6s and $17.95-$19.95 for the 6x7s the USDA reported on May 4.
 
For cherry tomatoes, the USDA reported flats of 12 1-pint baskets with lids from south Florida selling for $6.95-8.95, down from $9.95-11.95 reported on May 4.
 
On grape tomatoes, the USDA in late February reported $7.95-9.95 for flats of 12 1-pint baskets and $15.95-17.95 for 20-pound cartons of loose grapes.
 
In early May, the USDA quoted $10.95-11.95 for the flats and $19.95-21.95 for the cartons.
 
Romas sold for $13.95 for 25-pound loose cartons of extra large, $11.95-12.95 for large, and $8.95-9.95 for mediums, below the $14.95-15.95 for extra large, $13.95-14.95 for large, and $9.95-11.95 for mediums reported May 4.
 
Gerry Odell, chief operating officer of farming and packing for the Immokalee, Fla.-based Lipman Family Companies, which grows and packs tomatoes through Six L’s Packing Co. Inc. and Custom Pak, said he expects central Florida this season to have a bigger than normal overlap with Quincy, Fla.
 
“There is always some overlap (between the two areas), but the overlap will be excessive this year,” he said.
 
North Florida production normally starts in early June and runs through July 4.
 
Six L’s was moving to the Palmetto-Ruskin region on May 11 by first picking romas and starting rounds by May 15.
 
Odell said he expects volumes to begin peaking May 18-25.
 
“We should start to have some very good quality fruit (then),” he said May 11. “The roma quality is already coming up and the rounds will be much better than they have been.”  
 
Winter pack-outs have been low as packinghouses graded out many culls because of scarring and irregular shaped fruit, Odell said.
 
In mid-May, Six L’s and DiMare were still harvesting limited volumes from the Immokalee and Naples, Fla., regions.
 
Odell said Six L’s planned to shift production to Palmetto-Ruskin the week of May 17.

Low Florida tomato volume expected to run through mid-April

By Doug Ohlemeier The Packer – 3/1/10

A large gap in Florida tomatoes production has tomato buyers scrambling for product.

Prices in late February escalated into the $30s for mature greens and as high as $50 for grape tomatoes, and grower-shippers say buyers shouldn’t expect any appreciable volume until early to mid-April.

Cold and rainy weather since the Jan. 10-11 freeze that gutted Immokalee, Fla.-area plantings has prevented south Florida production from returning to normal volume.

“No one has any tomatoes, so the price is insignificant,” said Ed Angrisani, partner with Taylor & Fulton Packing LLC, Palmetto, Fla. “ Florida is packing like 20,000 (cartons) a day or like that. It’s just not enough to do anyone any good.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported in late February light supplies of south Florida mature greens and insufficient volume of cherries and roma tomatoes to establish a market.
 
Grower-shippers and the USDA reported 25-pound cartons of loose mature greens 85% U.S. No. One or better from south Florida selling for $31.95 for 5x6s, 6x6s and 6x7s, up from $21.95-23.95 for those same sizes in mid-February.

For grape tomatoes, the USDA reported $25.95-26.95 for flats of 12 1-pint baskets with 20-pound cartons of loose grapes selling for $50.95-51.95, considerably higher than the $16.95 for clamshells and $31.95 for cartons in mid-February.

Fort Myers, Fla.-based Weis-Buy Farms Inc. brokerage has been receiving many requests for Florida tomatoes.

Chuck Weisinger, president and chief executive officer, said foodservice suppliers are struggling for product.

“My phone is filled with people requesting tomatoes,” he said March 1. “We cannot supply our own clientele. We are in a critical situation for supplies now. Anything that looks like a tomato is going to sell.”

While DiMare Co., Homestead , Fla. , has limited supplies in Homestead , and most other packers had sporadic volumes, Weisinger said.

Gerry Odell, chief operating officer of farming and packing for the Lipman Family Cos., Immokalee, said he doesn’t expect Florida to return to normal volumes until early April.

He said he expects Mexican tomatoes to play out before Florida returns with any kind of volume.

Odell said Mexico ’s production of field-grown mature greens is light and shipments should wind down by April 1, but strong shipments of romas should continue throughout most of the year.

While central Florida pickings normally start in mid-April, Odell said January planting delays should prevent the Palmetto-Ruskin region from having any volume until early May.

Any volume before that will have to come from south Florida , Odell said.
 
“Typically, March is a hard month to have a lot of tomatoes in Florida ,” he said March 1. “In an average year, if you have iffy weather in January or early February that hurts your fruit set. It will be tough to have volume in March and it will be even tougher this year.”

Nighttime temperatures have consistently fallen into the low 40s and upper 30s — below the limit for fruit set. Tomatoes planted before the freeze, which normally would be harvested in early March, haven’t fully developed because of the cold, Odell said.

Odell said Florida shippers have been sending only 10-11 truckloads a day to out-of-state customers. Six L’s, which markets tomatoes packed by the Lipman Family Cos., doesn’t plan to ship any mature greens until around March 5.

Freeze destroys much of Florida ’s tomato crop 

By Doug Ohlemeier The Packer – 1/13/10

Freezing temperatures blast Florida ; cold will persist through at least Jan. 11
by Chip Carter - Produce News - 1/5/10

Freeze warnings remained in effect Tuesday morning, Jan. 5, for the state of Florida as far south as Miami on the east coast and Naples on the west, with sub-freezing low temperatures predicted to continue through at least Monday, Jan. 11.

According to the National Weather Service, a "reinforcing shot of colder and drier air pushing through the area will set the stage for a threat of freezing temperatures late tonight and Wednesday morning & for four to six hours & except for two to four hours along the [western Florida] Treasure Coast. Outlying areas south of Interstate 4 (which bisects the state roughly east to west from Daytona to Tampa ) could have two to three hours of low temperatures below 28 degrees."

Florida strawberry production is centered in Plant City , just south of I-4 in the western part of the state.

Forecast lows in the mid- to high 20s would shatter existing records in areas including Orlando and Miami if reached.

One Accuweather agricultural meteorologist predicted temperatures in Florida between 27 and 34 degrees Tuesday morning and perhaps Wednesday morning but said that the lows should not be sustained long enough to cause significant crop damage.

Florida farmers have yet to note losses from the icy arctic air mass that blasted the state over the weekend of Jan. 2-3, with an even more threatening blow expected this weekend (Jan. 9-10).

"I've never been through something like this where it's [several] consecutive days of sub-freezing temperatures," industry veteran Sal Toscano of Plant City, FL, berry producer Sunny Ridge Farms told The Produce News Jan. 4. "I'll tell you the same thing I'm telling my bosses: I don't really know what to expect, I don't know what's going to happen. No one does. I know at best there's going to be a lot of water [sprayed on plants in an attempt to hold temperatures at 32 degrees]. This thing looks like it's going to last to another four or five days. Anything I tell you can be wrong in another 24 hours. How it's going to affect us long term I'm not sure. I'm not sure I can remember a period where they were calling for sub-freezing temps for this long, and there's another front coming for the weekend. It's day to day."

Florida strawberry and citrus producers weathered the first three days of freezing temperatures with little damage recorded, though Mr. Toscano noted that some loss is unavoidable.

Exposed plant sets were covered with layers of insulating plastic. Strawberry fields were sprayed with water to encase berries in a protective layer of ice. Meanwhile, citrus groves across the state were enshrouded in a fog produced by misters spraying 68-degree water in an effort to cloak the trees in a protective cloud.

But even the best protective measures could prove in vain if Florida experiences sustained, sub-freezing temperatures for several nights in a row. Accompanying low humidity exacerbates the danger, since there is little moisture to help protect plants.

"Anything that's open to the air is going to be a problem," said Chuck Weisinger of Fort Myers , FL , produce broker Weis-Buy Farms. "Stuff north of the Caloosahatchee River (which runs parallel from the western edge of Lake Okeechobee to Fort Myers ) could be in trouble. It depends on how much cold weather we get for how long and whether the wind continues and whether we continue to get a cloud cover. I just don't see any relief with this."

One Florida produce industry veteran, who asked not to be identified, told The Produce News Tuesday night, Jan. 4, that he feared that the tomato and vegetable crops centered on Palmetto and Ruskin could be lost. "I think the Palmetto-Ruskin deal is done," he said.

Meanwhile, Florida farmers rushed to pick any fruits or vegetables already in the fields as the National Weather Service predicted even colder temperatures for the rest of the week.

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, freezing temperatures were recorded as far south as Lake Okeechobee and Naples Saturday and Sunday nights, Jan. 2 and Jan. 3. Even colder weather was forecast for the remainder of the week, with major citrus-growing areas facing projected temperatures as low as 24 degrees and a potential hard freeze -- three or more hours at temperatures below 32 -- as far south as Lake Okeechobee .

Citrus freezes at 28 degrees, strawberries can bear 26 degrees; more than four hours of unprotected exposure at those temperatures results in major damage. Also at risk are northern Florida broccoli and cabbage, as well as tomatoes, corn and other vegetables in the southern half of the state.

"Everybody's got their pumps ready and working and getting ready to spray, checking the Rainbirds," Mr. Toscano said. "We'll have ice, let it melt, let the fields dry, go in and see what we can [pick] day by day. I wouldn't even attempt to predict what it's going to do before the [coming] weekend."

Wall Street was betting that at least the Florida citrus crop would escape the freeze in good shape. On Dec. 31, orange juice futures for March delivery fell 5.7 percent in anticipation that the impending cold snap would not be significant enough to disrupt production.

The cold snap portends the longest period of freezing weather in Florida in more than a century. Freezes in 1894-95 were so severe that seven of eight banks serving central Florida 's citrus corridor collapsed, and the state's citrus industry relocated further south in the aftermath.  

FLORIDA TOMATO PRICES REMAIN HIGH

By Andy Nelson

The Packer – November 18, 2009

                Prices for Florida remained high in mid-November, and would likely stay high at least through the end of the month, particularly with strong Thanksgiving demand.

                “Demand should remain extremely high,” said Chuck Weisinger, president and chief executive officer of Fort Myers-based broker Weis-Buy Farms Inc. “Supplies haven’t jumped out and hit us in the face.”

                Prices would likely remain very high at least through the end of November, and possibly through the first week of December, Weisinger said.

                Pricing will likely stay about where it is “for the next several weeks,” Bob Spencer, vice president and sales manager of West Coast Tomato Inc., Palmetto, Fla., Said Nov. 18.

                Yields won’t likely return to normal until mid-December, Spencer said. Combined with that, shippers were seeing more demand from the West Coast, where California and Baja supplies were drying up quickly, Weisinger and Spencer said.

                Supplies the week of Nov. 16 were “almost non-existent,” and prices would likely stay high at least through the end of the month, predicted Tony DiMare, vice president of Homestead, Fla. based DiMare Co.

                The week of Nov. 16, Weisinger was seeing prices as high as $31.95 for 25-pound boxes of extra-large greens, with larges fetching $29.95 and mediums $27.95.

                On Nov. 17, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported a prices of $25.95 for 25-pound cartons of 5x6 mature green tomatoes from Florida , up from $19.95 last year at the same time.

                The mid-November prices were the highest Weisinger has seen for mature green tomatoes in several years.

                “And it’s not just round greens,” Weisinger said, “Everything has suffered. Grapes and cherries are really short, too. I wish there were more tomatoes to supply the demand.”

WISE GUYS AT WEIS-BUY PREDICT HOLIDAY REBOUND

By Chip Carter

The Produce News – November 9, 2009

                Fort Myers , FL – Despite a late start to the Florida fall season, the brain trust at Weis-Buy Farms is hopeful of a solid market over the holiday season that could perhaps even signal the beginnings of a wider-spread economic recovery.

                President Chuck Weisinger said there is “not a lot” of squash or tomatoes in the early going due to heavy early rains followed by unseasonably high heat. Most product will have some systemic or surface damage, Mr. Weisinger said, “This fall, nothing’s going to be perfect this fall.”

                Mr. Weisinger said that less product early is not necessarily bad news. “Had we hit with product right now we’d have some flat markets,” Mr. Weisinger said. “There were no hurricanes, there was a decent weather in California , and hot-house product is still around in abundance.”

                Mr. Weisinger told The Produce News Oct. 22 he expected increased demand to arrive along with increased yields the first week of November. He said consumers have become more cautious in their buying habits, but that after months of gloomy economic forecasts, many are ready to stop listening to bad news.

                Since early spring, the Weis-Buy has seen clients buying less product more often, a trend the company believes will continue.

                “In the United States , we’re not buying anything we don’t have to have. Instead of buying four tomatoes, Mama Housewife is buying one.” Mr. Weisinger said.

                But, “We (Americans) have a different attitude now – propel have been listening to gloom and doom so long they’re just not listening any more,” Mr. Weisinger said. That being the case, “I think you’re going to see some increased buying by Thanksgiving,” he said. Market rebound, “if it happens,” will being around Nov. 5 and continue through Christmas.

                Weis-Buy salesman Mark Weisinger agreed with his brother. An increasingly “optimistic attitude could be the accelerator for more demand,” he said. “I think Americans are sick of negativity. I for one just walk away from it.”

                Even with a solid domestic market, Chuck Weisinger said the produce industry said Florida farmers in particular need to broaden horizons.

                “We need to market ourselves as Floridians, as Americans, not only as providing local product, but also the safest product in the world,” Chuck Weisinger said. “We’ve got a product that will carry overseas. I think the cheap dollar will help us abroad. I think we’re going to be able to go into foreign markets more than before.”

                That expansion cannot come at the expense of local markets, he said. “We need to be selling Florida flavor – and safety. We need to market to ‘locovores,’ “gourmands who demand local produce for freshness and flavor.

                Added Weis-Buy salesman Mike Shapiro, “There’s a different definition of fresh for a chef than for a consumer. Chefs want produce that’s no more than two days old. Chefs’ definition of freshness is very different from consumers and marketers of produce.”

                Said Chuck Weisinger, “The bottom line is, our focus needs to be on local (and) American product that looks good and tastes good, and we need to market ourselves as being the safest produce in the world. That’s what it’s all about – safety and flavor.”

NEW FARM BILL LEGISLATION WEBSITE

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service has created a side by side comparison of key components of the 2008 Farm bill with previous legislation.. The site is accessed www.ers.usda.gov/farmbill/2008

This site allows a comparison of key provisions of the new bill with what the law specified before it was passed.

CONSUMER SITE FOR FRUIT, AND VEGETABLE ORIGINS

Consumers can now determine where 95 commonly found fresh fruits and vegetables found in their local supermarkets are grown. Users can also find out which states are the leading producers of various crops. The web site is: http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/resources/fruitveg/fruitveg.php

This tool was created by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture and the center for Transportation Research and Education at Iowa State University.

This information comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Fruit and Vegetable Market News Service.

IS ORGANIC FOOD WORTH IT?

Is buying organic food the best thing for your health? Use this guide for tips on organic fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, grains and more.

PROS and CONS of EATING ORGANIC

While buying organic foods may seem like the right thing to do for your health, the environment and your family, sometimes it's difficult to justify the added expense. Plus, more food industry experts are starting to recommend choosing local foods over their organic counterparts, especially when it comes to foods where freshness really counts, like produce, dairy and meat.

So what's a responsible, price-conscious consumer to do? Nutrition experts stress that while eating organic can be a smart way to reduce your exposure to potentially harmful chemicals, striving for a healthy diet that includes plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and limits processed grains, animal fats, sugar and salt is a far more effective way to boost your health.

WHAT DOES ORGANIC REALLY MEAN?

Organic foods are produced with little or no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides and are free of added antibiotics or hormones. In order to be called organic, a product must be certified by the United States Department of Agriculture. Don't confuse "organic" with "natural" though. "There's no legal definition of a natural food," says Terrie Holewinski, RD, a cardiovascular dietitian at the University of Michigan Health System. "The food industry often uses the term 'natural' to mean minimally processed or preservative-free.

So are certified organic foods better for you than conventional foods? "At this point, there is no scientific evidence that organic foods are healthier or safer than conventionally grown foods," says Holewinski. But it's hard to identify the long-term effects of the pesticides, fertilizers and other chemicals that are found in so many of our foods.

Do organic foods taste better? Some fans of organic say their food definitely tastes better. But the taste difference could be linked to other factors like the season and growing conditions.

So when should you splurge on organic, and when is it safe to save your money? This guide to the food groups can help you decide.

A GUIDE TO ORGANIC FRUITS AND VEGGIES

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

When it comes to fresh fruit and veggies, the best thing you can do is to eat more of them -- organic or not. "If you're not eating enough fruits and vegetables overall, then buying organic is like worrying about pennies but not dollars," says Suzanne Havala Hobbs, DrPH, RD, clinical assistant professor in the department of health policy and administration at the School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Joel Fuhrman, MD, author of Eat to Live and Disease-Proof your Child, agrees. "Pesticides are not the main factor in determining things like cancer, heart disease and diabetes. The main factor is that the American diet gets less than 10 percent of calories from fresh fruits and vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds.

That said, "there is some justifiable concern that chemicals are potentially harmful," says Dr. Fuhrman, "but you don't have to eat completely organic. If you avoid the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables, you can eliminate more that 90 percent of your pesticide exposure.

BUY THESE ORGANIC FRUITS AND VEGETABLES:

• Apples
• Bell Peppers
• Celery
• Cherries
• Imported grapes
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Pears
• Potatoes
• Red Raspberries
• Spinach
• Strawberries

IT'S OKAY TO BUY THESE NON-ORGANIC FRUITS AND VEGETABLES:

• Asparagus
• Avocados
• Bananas
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Corn (Sweet)
• Kiwi
• Mangos
• Onions

(Source for lists: Environmental Working Group www.foodnews.org )

If you can't afford to purchase organic, peel apples and potatoes and consider substituting less contaminated produce like kale or Swiss chard for more contaminated items like spinach. Also, whether you buy organic or not, make sure to wash produce thoroughly and remove the outer leaf of leafy vegetables like lettuce and cabbage.

A GUIDE TO ORGANIC GRAIN, MEAT, DAIRY AND FISH

GRAINS

"Like the other food groups, if you have access to organic grains and can afford them, I believe organic is better than conventional and always for the same reason: You're exposing yourself to fewer environmental contaminants with organic," says Dr. Hobbs. Another plus: Most organic grain products are healthy whole grains.

MEAT AND DAIRY

When it comes to animal fats like meat and dairy products, you may want to consider going organic, but limiting your intake of animal fats overall is your healthiest move.

"The higher-fat animal products are also those that deliver the most toxicity to us. I recommend that people eat fewer animal products and opt for lower-fat versions which are less contaminated and are probably better for us anyway," says Dr. Fuhrman. "For example, instead of foods like cheese and butter, get your fat from healthier sources such as nuts, seeds and avocados." Adds Dr. Hobbs, "If you can afford it, you're better off buying organic meat but at the same time, you should reduce the frequency of meats, regardless of whether they're organic of conventional.

When eating meat, you can cut your chemical exposure by removing as much of the fat as you can since that's where chemicals are likely concentrated, says Holewinski.

FISH

Because the USDA doesn't certify fish, it's not usually identified as organic or non-organic. Some fish, like salmon, are identified as farm-raised or wild, and in this case wild is your best bet. Most food experts and nutritionists agree that wild fish are both better tasting and more nutritious because of their natural and varied diet.

Many people are concerned about harmful mercury in fish, "All fish contain mercury but some more that others," says Dr. Fuhrman. The most contaminated varieties are tilefish, white snapper, shark, mackerel, swordfish and tune. The least contaminated: flounder, tilapia, sole and trout. It's best to limit your intake of contaminated fish varieties to one servig per week, less if you're pregnant or nursing.

In the end, the decision to buy organic or not is a very personal choice, says Holewinski. One thing is for sure: Whether or not you opt for organic fare, packing your plate with fresh fruits and vegetables and lightening up on processed foods and animal fats is a smart way to give your health an boost.

SIX STEPS TO SAFER FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

CHECK

• Check to be sure that the fresh fruits and vegetables you buy are not bruised or damaged
• Check that fresh cut fruits and vegetables like packaged salads and precut melons are refrigerated at the store before buying. Do not buy fresh cut items that are not refrigerated.

CLEAN

• Wash hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds before and after handling fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Clean all surfaces and utensils with hot water and soap, including cutting boards, counter tops, peelers, and knives that will touch fresh fruits or vegetables before and after food preparation.
• Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables under running tap water, including those with skins and rinds that are not eaten. Packaged fruits and vegetables labeled “ready-to-eat”, “washed”, or “triple washed” need not be washed.
• Rub firm-skin fruits and vegetables under running tap water or scrub with a clean vegetable brush while rinsing with running tap water.
• Dry fruits and vegetables with a clean cloth towel or paper towel.
• Never use detergent or bleach to wash fresh fruits or vegetables. These products are not intended for consumption.

SEPARATE

• When shopping, be sure fresh fruits and vegetables are separated from household chemicals and raw foods such as meat, poultry, and seafood in your cart and in bags at checkout.
• Keep fresh fruits and vegetables separate from raw meat, poultry, or seafood in your refrigerator.
• Separate fresh fruits and vegetables from raw meat, poultry, and seafood. Do not use the same cutting board without cleaning with hot water and soap before and after preparing fresh fruits and vegetables.

COOK

• Cook or throw away fruits or vegetables that have touched raw meat, poultry, seafood, or their juices

CHILL

• Refrigerate all cut, peeled, or cooked fresh fruits and vegetables within two hours

THROW AWAY

• Throw away fresh fruits and vegetables that have not been refrigerated within two hours of cutting, peeling or cooking.
• Remove and throw away bruised or damaged portions of fruits and vegetables when preparing to cook them or before eating them raw.
• Throw away any fruit and vegetable that will not be cooked if it has touched raw meat, poultry, or seafood.
• IF IN DOUBT, THROW IT OUT!

This is the latest news affecting the produce industry. The entire staff at Weis-Buy wishes to bring this to the attention of our customers.