News

  • 16 Sep
    USA –  Florida citrus production and crop value is up from a year ago

    USA –  Florida citrus production and crop value is up from a year ago

    Production is up vs a year ago, when the industry was trying to recover after being hit hard by Hurricane Irma. But the industry continues to bleed acreage in the state, according to numbers released by the US Department of Agriculture.

    The federal agency’s commercial citrus inventory recorded 430,601 acres spread across 25 counties, 4% fewer acres than a year ago. The net loss of 16,411 acres is more than twice what was lost last season,” the federal agency noted.

    The overall total acreage this year was the lowest since the survey started in 1966.

    Only Sarasota County posted an increase in acres being used commercially to grow oranges, grapefruit and specialty crops such as tangerines, tangelos and lemons.

    The USDA reports said new plantings accounted for 10,068 acres, off 17% from a year ago, and that the 61.4 million trees were 2% fewer than the prior season.

    Growers during the 2017-2018 growing season posted 75-year lows because of damage caused by Hurricane Irma, which hammered much of the state in September 2017. The hurricane caused massive damage in key counties for the citrus industry, uprooting trees and leaving many groves in standing water.

    During the recently completed 2018-2019 season, the industry continued battling deadly citrus-greening disease and factors such as an expansion of development into rural areas and changes in national drinking habits.

    But the 2018-2019 season saw a 59% increase in orange production from the 2017-2018 season and a 4% increase from the 2016-2017 season, which was not devastated by a hurricane.

    The production in the most-recent growing season, from September 2018 to July 2019, had a preliminary USD873 million on-tree value for the citrus crops, 37% more than the USD637 million revised value for 2017-2018, according to the US Department of Agriculture. Fox35orlando

    By Caroline Calder News
  • 16 Sep
    UK – Fruit juice consumption on the up

    UK – Fruit juice consumption on the up

    The manufacture of fruit and vegetable juice was the fastest growing sub sector in the UK food industry, growing 17% from £654 million in 2017 to £768 million in 2018.

    Research shows that more than half of people aged 16 to 24 consume juice drinks at least once a day. Consumption of smoothies has seen the biggest increase among all fruit juice drinks with Brits spending £112 million alone on these last year alone.

    Sales of UK manufactured beer have meanwhile hit their lowest level in a decade at £3.1 billion – down from £3.7 billion the year before – as young people increasingly turn to alcohol free alternatives. Beer sales reached their peak in 2009, when Brits consumed £4.8 billion in beer.

    Food and drink remained the largest UK manufacturing sector in 2018, reporting sales of £71.8 billion – a 3% increase on 2017. Overall UK manufacturing sales hit a record high of £390.1 billion in 2018 – an increase of £9.4 billion (2.5%) from the previous year.

    Andrew Williams, Head of Food & Drink Sector, Santander UK, said: “Food and drink manufacturing is vital to the health of the economy and the UK is widely seen as a global leader in product innovation. The last decade has seen the food and drink industry shaken up with huge shifts in consumer buying habits – from growing interest in veganism to juice and smoothie diets. Manufacturers are having to respond quicker than ever to develop new products to meet customer demand – a pattern which is likely to continue as Brits explore the latest food fads.” BMmagazine

    By Caroline Calder News
  • 15 Jul
    Global – Citrus and grape by-products could serve as food preservatives

    Global – Citrus and grape by-products could serve as food preservatives

    Large amounts of citrus and grape by-products that are normally treated as waste and generally disposed of in landfills could potentially be used in the production of natural food preservatives. This is one of the main findings of an interdisciplinary study at Stellenbosch University (SU).

    “Our research has shown that the use of bioactive-rich citrus and winery by-products could provide an efficient, inexpensive, easily available and environmentally friendly platform for the production of natural and sustainable food preservatives,” says Dr Cletos Mapiye from the Department of Animal Sciences at SU. He conducted the research with colleagues from the Department of Food Science and the Postharvest Technology Research Laboratory in the Department of Horticultural Sciences at SU. The study was published recently in the open access journal Sustainability.

    “Bioactive phytochemicals play an important role in preserving food quality by retaining flavour, colour, texture and nutrients, while reducing the chance of contracting a foodborne illness and potentially contributing to the prevention of chronic diseases due to their antioxidant properties.” Stellenbosch University

    By Caroline Calder News
  • 15 Jul
    Kenya – Del Monte invests Sh580m in new fresh fruit packing facility   

    Kenya – Del Monte invests Sh580m in new fresh fruit packing facility  

     

    Fruit juice maker Del Monte Kenya has invested Sh580 million in a new fresh fruit packing facility with a processing capacity of 60 tonnes of fresh fruit per year.

    The new facility, which is being constructed within Del Monte Kenya’s plantation is scheduled to be completed in August 2019 to expand production of pineapples avocados, mangos and passion fruit juices.

    “Del Monte Kenya plans to source fruit from local and regional growers in Murang’a and Kiambu Counties, we will prepare and package the products from the new facility for both local and international markets,” said Del Monte managing director Stergios Gkaliamoutsas.

    Currently, Del Monte Kenya employs over 6,500 employees and creates additional 28,000 jobs indirectly through its activities. The company houses half of its workforce within the company’s premises.

    He added that Del Monte is supporting the realisation of Kenya’s Big Four Agenda for local cultivation, agro-processing, and full-value-added support for manufacturing and food security.

    “We are looking forward to continuing to demonstrate the many ways in which Del Monte Kenya can be a valued, respected, responsible corporate citizen of the Republic of Kenya, its economy, and the well-being of all its citizens’’, Gkaliamoutsas said. The-star-.co.ke

     

    By Caroline Calder News
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