Swine Flu and Food Rumors

I know most of you are being inundated by the media about the Swine Flu and rightly so. Despite rumors, a person CAN NOT catch the Swine influenza virus from eating food and that means fruits and vegetables.

According to the Center for Disease Control CDC, Swine influenza viruses ARE NOT transmitted by food. You CAN NOT get swine influenza from eating pork or pork products. In addition, according to the Produce Marketing Association's Government Relations and Public Affairs Blog, From Field To Fork, there is no reason to question fresh produce regardless of where it is grown, including Mexico.

Mexico exports a significant amount of fruits and vegetables to the United States that are safe to eat. In fact, Mexico produces an abundance of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. Currently, blackberries are in peak production in Mexico and will be through May. Despite the rumors, keep eating your fruits and vegetables, especially Mexican blackberries. They are large, sweet and healthy for you. Visit your local retailer or farmer's market and purchase some today. You won't be disappointed.

South America Will Not Drive Down Prices for Michigan Blueberry Growers

I just had to blog about an article I read on April 6th on mlive and clear up any misconceptions the article might have construed to American readers.

Inaccuracy #1) First, the title, “South American bumper crop of blueberries expected to drive down prices for Michigan farmers” is not true.

Fresh blueberry imports from Chile do not overlap with the production in Michigan. In fact, according to an article in ThePacker, blueberry imports from Chile will be completed by the second week of April. Michigan’s blueberry production will not start until the middle of June. Therefore, their statement that South American imports will drive down Michigan blueberry prices is not true.

Inaccuracy #2) According to Carlos Garcia Salazar, a small fruit specialist for Michigan State Extension Service’s Ottawa County office, “about 150 million tons of blueberries are now in storage nationwide.”

This information is not accurate. According to the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council USHBC cold storage report, there were only 130.9 million tons of frozen blueberries in storage in February. In addition, very little of that fruit is from South America. The majority of the frozen blueberries in storage is from U.S. blueberry producers.

Inaccuracy #3) “One reason why the processed blueberry market is overwhelmed is because of expanded imports from South America.”

In fact, over 80% of South America’s blueberry production is shipped for the fresh market. Although the U.S. remains the primary market for South American fresh blueberry exports, significant volumes are sent to Europe, Asia and many markets in the northern and southern hemispheres.

The article was probably accurate in predicting that prices for Michigan blueberries may be lower than the last few years. However, the article’s claim, that South America imports are “expected to drive down” Michigan’s blueberry prices, is false. If prices do drop for Michigan growers, it will be our own fault. The U.S. has increased its blueberry acreage 90% since 1995. Thus, boosting production.

Economics 101 taught me, if you increase supply significantly, prices will drop. As history tells us, Protectionism is not a good strategy for economic growth and claiming that South America will drive down prices for Michigan blueberry growers is inaccurate and Protectionism rhetoric.

California Blueberries

The frost that hit California a couple weeks ago will not have a significant impact on the total volume of blueberries produced this season. However, the crop is running about one week behind normal. Good blueberry production is approximately three weeks away and growers are telling me that the crop looks good. California produced 14.0 million pounds of blueberries last season and should produce at least 15% more than last season.

Wild vs. Cultivated Blueberries?

There are many articles written about the healthy benefits of blueberries. Some articles mention cultivated (Highbush) blueberries and wild (Lowbush) blueberries. I just want to clarify the difference between cultivated and wild blueberries. Cultivated blueberries are grown in over 23 states in the U.S and also in Western Canada. Wild or lowbush blueberries are grown predominately in Maine, Novia Scotia, Quebec and New Brunswick. Maine is the leading producer of wild blueberries and accounts for almost 30% of North America’s wild production.

64% of the blueberries produced in the United States and Canada are cultivated and 36% are wild. The majority of fresh blueberries sold in grocery stores are cultivated or highbush blueberries. Wild blueberries are predominately processed (Frozen, juice, puree, etc.).

According to a report in Health Magazine, wild blueberries contain more Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC) than cultivated blueberries and possess the highest levels of antioxidants of any fruit, containing 13,427 TAC. However, don’t be discouraged because cultivated blueberries are not far behind and rank fifth on the list with a 9,019 TAC. Whatever the case may be, keep consuming products with blueberries, cultivated or wild. Your mind and body will thank you for it.

Florida Blueberries

I spent the last few days in Florida visiting with blueberry growers and touring their "farms." According the USDA Market Reports, Florida has harvested approximately 300,000 pounds of blueberries so far this season. Florida is forecasting a crop of between 11-12 million pounds. The crop looks good and the harvest should start doubling every day from here on out. Barring any weather issues, peak harvest should occur in the next 10-15 days.