The USDA confirmed that imports made up roughly one-third of total U.S. vegetable availability in 2025, with even higher dependency in specific categories. That's a significant structural reliance on foreign supply chains at a moment when trade policy is shifting fast.

This stat lands differently now that tariffs on key growing countries are in flux. Buyers and category managers who source heavily imported vegetables — think tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers — are operating with real exposure to cost swings and supply uncertainty.

Watch how this number moves in 2026 as tariff impacts filter through sourcing decisions. Domestic alternatives may get a closer look, but ramping up U.S. production takes time. This is the kind of data point that should be in every category review conversation right now.

The U.S. Supreme Court overturned duties imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), and Ernst & Young New Zealand estimates the decision could make NZ exporters eligible for up to NZ$1 billion (roughly US$600M) in refunds. That's a massive potential payout for companies that absorbed those costs.

This matters beyond New Zealand — IEEPA has been the legal backbone for some of the broader tariff actions taken by the current administration. A Supreme Court ruling limiting its use could have ripple effects on how future tariffs are structured and challenged.

If you're tracking trade policy, this is a case to follow closely. It signals that the legal ground under some of these tariff regimes is less stable than it looked, and other countries or industries could make similar refund claims.

The USDA announced it will purchase $25 million in fresh California table grapes through the Section 32 program, part of a broader $118 million investment aimed at supporting American farmers. The California table grape industry is welcoming the move publicly.

Section 32 purchases are designed to stabilize markets when there's oversupply or price pressure — so this signals the USDA sees a need to prop up the grape market. That's worth paying attention to if you're buying or selling in that category.

Expect this volume to move through school lunch programs and other institutional channels, which could tighten spot availability in other segments. If you're a buyer sourcing table grapes right now, factor in that a chunk of domestic supply just got spoken for by the federal government.

Pennsylvania apple shippers say Honeycrisp movement is steady, but pricing has been trending up since before Christmas — and it's still rising. Industry insiders note there's actually more Honeycrisp volume available this year compared to last, which makes the price strength unusual.

When prices go up despite more supply, it usually points to strong demand or tighter-than-expected storage availability pulling forward. Either way, buyers planning Honeycrisp programs should expect to pay more than recent history might suggest.

This is a good one to flag for category managers heading into spring and summer planning. If pricing is strengthening now in shoulder season, it could set the tone for what fall contracts look like when new crop Honeycrisp hits.

Soleil Citrus in South Africa's Hoedspruit region has only been able to pack and ship 20% of its lemon crop so far this season — a number that should be closer to 50% by end of April. The culprit is an unusual amount of sustained rainfall that's blocked harvesting and packing operations.

On top of the harvest delays, rising shipping costs are adding another layer of pressure. The combination of lower supply and higher logistics costs is a margin squeeze for growers and could translate to tighter availability and elevated pricing for buyers sourcing South African citrus.

South Africa is a meaningful supplier of lemons and other citrus to North American and European markets. If weather delays continue, expect some gaps in supply or price bumps — worth a heads-up to your citrus buyers.

With Cinco de Mayo landing on a Tuesday this year — making it a literal Taco Tuesday — retailers leaned into the moment hard. Total U.S. produce ads climbed 4% to 266,651, with heavy features on avocados, limes, cilantro, jalapeños, onions, sweet corn, tomatoes, bell peppers, and mangoes.

This is one of produce's biggest promotional windows of the year, and the volume of ads reflects how seriously retailers treat it. The theme carried across the whole store, with meat, marinades, and beverages all tying into the promotion.

For produce salespeople, this is a useful data point on which items retailers are betting on for seasonal events. Avocados and limes consistently dominate these windows — if you're pitching programs around key holiday moments, this is the template.

A controversy is brewing in Kenya's avocado sector over what insiders are calling misuse of a mechanism that allows limited exports during otherwise closed export windows. The system was designed to protect Kenya's reputation for quality, but critics say it's being abused — with some calling it an outright "heist."

Kenya is one of the world's top avocado suppliers, and its export windows exist to ensure fruit hits markets at peak quality. If those controls are being gamed, it raises real questions about product quality and origin integrity for buyers sourcing Kenyan avocados.

This is an early-stage story, but worth watching if you're in the avocado category. Supply integrity issues and reputational damage to an origin can shift buyer confidence fast — and Kenya has worked hard to build its standing in global avocado markets.