Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/993089
Produce Show Daily Tuesday, June 26, 2018 1 0 All Things Avocados: Everything You Need to Know About the Popular Fruit By Sergio Cordon, Avocado Commodity Manager, Robinson Fresh Not long ago, avocados were a regional and seasonal delicacy. People who lived in and near the warm-climate regions where avocados grow were lucky enough to enjoy the fresh, versatile fruit as they pleased; those in colder climates had to wait until avocados were shipped in as growing seasons allowed. But today, the availability of avocados has increased and consumption has skyrocketed. Per capita consumption of avocados has tripled since the early 2000s ("Avocado Imports Play a Significant Role in Meeting Growing U.S. Demand," United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service), and avocados now rep- resent 50 percent of tropical sales and 80 percent of growth in the category – exclud- ing bananas (IRI FreshLook, Total U.S.). And it's no wonder: with their fresh flavor, creamy texture and essential nutrients and good fats, avocados are a versatile, deli- cious ingredient that can be mashed, whipped, sliced and used in all kinds of cuisines and health and food trends. Avocado Origins: Where and How They Grow Avocado trees are native to Central America, where the tropical climate offers the ideal growing conditions for the fruit. It can take around four years before a tree begins producing commer- cially, but with the right pruning and agronomic maintenance, a tree can last for 50 or more years. There are more than 400 varieties of avocados globally, yet the Hass variety makes up more than 95 percent of all avocados consumed in the United States ("Avocado Varieties, Learn About the Different Types of Avocados," Hass Avocado Board). Hass avocados take longer to ripen and have a thicker skin and longer shelf life – both characteris- tics that make it a better candidate for shipping longer distances. In addition, its dark skin deepens to a purplish-black color when ripe, which gives consumers a convenient visual indication of when the fruit is ready to eat. Avocado Imports: Keeping a Year-Round Supply in the United States Mexico and Central and South American countries, with their ideal tropical climates, are the dominant players in global produc- tion of avocados. With fairly consistent year-round supply, Mexico leads in avocado production. To cover any seasonal gaps in the market, the United States also imports avocados from Chile, and most recently, Colombia in the winter months and Peru in the summer. The United States also uses domestically grown fruit, which primarily comes from California from approximately February through September. Avocado Outlook: What to Expect As avocados continue to grow in popularity as a mainstream fruit, their significance in the produce division expands too. Because Mexico is the main avocado supplier for the U.S. market, there are many factors that can impact supply and imports, including eco- nomic, political and agronomic situations – and the unpredictability of Mother Nature. As the global demand for Hass avocados contin- ues to expand at a fast pace, U.S. markets will need to compete with other regions of the world in order to meet its growing demand. With their nutrient-dense flesh and versa- tility, there's a sense of self-indulgence for avocados from all kinds of consumers – foodies and families, health-conscious and trendy eaters alike – that lasts throughout the year. If you'd like to explore more options for your avocado program and capture your share of sales, connect with one of our fresh experts at www .robinsonfresh.com/contact-us/general- contact. For more information, go to www .robinsonfresh.com or stop by booths #4551 and #2025. Preventing Listeria Contamination in Fresh-Cut Produce Processing Dr. Elis Owens, Director of Technical Services at Birko, answers questions sur- rounding Listeria and the increased reg- ulation from the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). PSD: Why is Listeria a major concern in fresh-cut produce? EO: Unlike ready-to-eat protein pro- cessing, there is no lethality step, such as cooking, for fresh-cut produce. Furthermore, Listeria thrives in the cold, damp, refrigerated environments that are typical of facilities processing fresh or frozen produce. Persistent or 'pet' Listeria strains can become resi- dent in a facility and can be a persistent and troublesome problem for produce processors. PSD: How does Listeria enter a facility, and where does it hide? EO: Listeria may come in on the product itself, through an infestation of pests, on the tires of vehicles or on the hands and feet of employees. There are many ways for it to enter and many potential harbor- age areas. The most common places Listeria hides include nooks and crannies in equipment or cracked flooring. Drains are another significant problem area. What's concerning is how difficult Listeria is to control after it takes up res- idence in a facility, which is why pre- vention is key. PSD: What can be done to prevent Listeria contamination? EO: It starts with following the principles of sanitary design and developing a documented plan to create repeatable processes the sanitation team can follow. FSMA's Preventive Controls rule calls for a Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI), which could be an employee or consultant. This individual will help establish an overall food safety plan. At Birko, we recommend a proactive 'seek and destroy' approach for prevent- ing Listeria contamination. That means you have an environmental monitoring program in which staff is actively look- ing for places where Listeria can hide and taking steps to eliminate it. Essential advice for preventing Listeria includes encouraging good employee hygiene, making equipment easy to access and clean, labeling tools used to clean drains so they are not used elsewhere and period- ically rotating chemicals to avoid the potential for microorganisms to acclimate to your main sanitizer. I also believe failure to com- plete an effective dry pickup and wash down at the start of the cleaning process is a common weakness in many produce facilities. If this isn't done well, food particles left on the surface of equipment can interfere with a cleaning chemical's efficacy. A trusted partner like Birko does more than deliver chemicals. Produce processors can use Birko as a trusted advisor to guide them towards effective sanitation design, show them proper use of chemicals and help identify food safe- ty risks. For more information, go to www.birko corp.com or call 800.525.0476. ComplianceMate's LoRa Overcomes Inadequacies in Challenging Kitchen Environments When it comes to food safety, potential points of vulnerability abound. Within the United States alone, there are over one million foodservice and restaurant facilities, each with an average of five coolers per location, including walk-in coolers, reach-in, upright and so on. Each facility might hold $1,000 to $5,000 or more worth of inventory in their walk-in coolers alone. From there, it's a matter of when, not if, there will be problems. Coolers break down over time. But here's the chilling truth: when that break- down occurs, it is likely no one will know. Staff will discover the problem only after the breakdown has occurred, at which point they may well need to dis- pose of the food. Worldwide, the cost of food spoilage and lost profit is in the bil- lions. Some restaurants have started opt- ing for spoilage coverage as part of their risk management policies. The only answer is an early warning system. Staff need to be able to proactively address issues, in advance or in real-time, rather than reactively after food product has already spoiled. In turn, that means they need a system that can generate automated alerts. This is not a new con- cept, and many restaurants already use WiFi or Bluetooth temperature sensors that, according to customized alerting rules for temperature performance, can communicate alerts to users. But are WiFi and Bluetooth sensors the ideal solution? Both technologies can struggle in many kitchen envi- ronments. Commercial kitchens vary greatly between differing concepts, with many different factors that affect the feasibility of wireless commu- nication protocols. For exam- ple, environmental issues around and within the cooler can prevent WiFi and Bluetooth signals from successfully penetrating the stain- less steel in equipment or the compo- nents of the building's superstructure (steel, concrete, stone). The coolers themselves can impede signals; many heavily insulated coolers are essentially Faraday cages that prevent electromag- netic signals from escaping. With con- ventional sensors, users might have to drill holes into the equipment, make other undesirable accommodations, or simply forego the convenience and accu- racy of wireless temperature sensors altogether. However, a cutting-edge new communication technology, LoRa, works where others falter. LoRa is a wireless commu- nication technology that uses 868 and 915 MHz frequencies to penetrate cooler walls and nego- tiate many of the other environ- ment challenges within a com- mercial foodservice establish- ment. The LoRa-enabled sensor "lives" fully in the environment it is monitoring, so no wiring, drilling or extra equipment (like repeaters or exter- nal antennas) are required to move data packet to gateway. Even better, LoRa sensors are hardened against power grid issues; data can be stored on the device until power and/or internet connectivity is restored. As a result, a powerful, energy-effi- cient LoRa radio is the most effective device to date to meet the many obstacles encountered in any commercial kitchen facility – and provide peace of mind when it comes to equipment temperature tracking and food safety.