Major produce industry players have joined forces under a newly formed Produce Coalition for USMCA, with the organization stating it will advocate to protect the affordability of fruits and vegetables and defend tariff-free agricultural trade under the agreement. The coalition's formation comes as the USMCA review process heats up ahead of the July deadline, with significant uncertainty around the future of North American trade relationships.

This is a direct escalation from the broader ag industry lobbying push covered previously — this time, produce companies specifically are forming their own dedicated advocacy body. The stakes are enormous: the vast majority of imported fresh produce consumed in the U.S. flows through USMCA trade channels, and any disruption to tariff-free status would ripple through pricing across nearly every major commodity category.

Watch for announcements about which specific companies or grower organizations are members of this coalition, and how the group plans to engage with the formal USMCA review process. Buyers and category managers tracking summer pricing should pay close attention to any signals coming out of Washington over the next several weeks.

Mexico's APEAM, the industry association representing avocado producers, packers, and exporters, has issued a formal statement committing to meet projected U.S. supply volumes through the current season transition and throughout the 2026-2027 cycle. The organization says the industry remains on track to fulfill its supply commitments to the American market.

This statement lands at a critical moment. Mexican avocado supply has been severely disrupted this season — force majeure was declared by major shippers, prices spiked nearly 48% in two weeks, and growers were deliberately holding fruit back. The public commitment from APEAM is a direct attempt to reassure U.S. buyers and calm the market narrative heading into the new cycle.

Watch for whether actual shipment volumes and pricing through June and July align with the industry's reassurances. Given the volatility of the past several weeks, buyers managing avocado programs will want to see volume data back up the statement before adjusting forward purchasing strategies.

California's stone fruit season is running three to four weeks ahead of schedule, with multiple white nectarine varieties that are typically spread out now all packing simultaneously. The compressed timeline is creating unusual market conditions, with product coming in faster and earlier than normal supply chain planning would anticipate.

An early season like this creates real pressure for buyers and retailers — promotional windows shift, variety transitions happen faster, and the tail end of the season arrives sooner than expected. The overlap of multiple varieties at once can create short-term oversupply and pricing pressure on individual items while simultaneously shrinking the overall season length.

Category managers should revisit stone fruit promotional calendars now and flag the potential for a faster-than-expected transition to fall items. An early close to the California season could leave a supply gap if buyers haven't pre-arranged alternative sourcing.

Despite heavy freezes during the growing season, Georgia's Vidalia onion crop is coming through with strong quality and a high pack-out percentage. Troy Bland, CEO of Bland Farms, says supply will be strong enough to take care of retail and foodservice partners through most of September.

This is a welcome relief story in an otherwise difficult spring for alliums and many other fresh categories. A high-quality, abundant Vidalia crop means buyers can confidently promote the product through the summer without worrying about supply interruptions or quality fallout from the earlier freeze events.

For category managers, this is an opportunity to plan Vidalia onion features through the summer grilling season while supply and quality are both strong. Worth locking in promotional commitments now while the market is well-supplied.

Peru's blueberry industry is forecasting a 40% growth in exports for 2026, driven by expanding production capacity and strong global demand. However, the country's agricultural authorities have flagged that the estimate is provisional, warning that high weather volatility — specifically the emerging El Niño — has made it difficult to generate a reliable forecast.

Peru has become the dominant global source of blueberries during the fall and winter windows in North America, so any significant deviation from this projection would have real shelf consequences. A 40% volume jump could suppress prices during Peru's peak shipping months; a weather-driven shortfall could do the opposite, especially with North Carolina already dealing with a new pest problem.

This is a story worth revisiting as El Niño develops. Buyers with fall and winter blueberry programs tied to Peruvian supply should build some contingency into their volume commitments now rather than waiting for confirmed weather impacts.

The Panama Canal Authority has announced it will reduce the maximum authorized draft for vessels transiting its Neopanamax locks to 49.5 feet (15.09 metres), effective July 3. The decision is based on current and projected water conditions at the canal.

For the North American produce trade, the Panama Canal is a critical chokepoint for refrigerated cargo moving from South America — including fruit from Peru, Chile, and Ecuador — to East Coast and Gulf ports. Reduced draft limits mean vessels must carry less cargo per transit, which can lead to higher freight rates, delayed shipments, or rerouting.

This comes at a sensitive time heading into summer peak demand. Worth monitoring whether freight costs on key lanes start ticking up and whether any origin-side shippers begin adjusting load plans or routing.

A new USDA report forecasts Mexican tomato production will fall 9% in 2026, bringing total output to 2.6 million metric tons. The decline continues a downward trend that began in 2023 and is being driven primarily by the 17% antidumping tariff imposed on Mexican tomato exports to the U.S. The tariff has disrupted market access and squeezed grower margins hard enough to push acreage down significantly.

This is a concrete USDA data point that goes beyond the acreage story already covered — production volume is now forecast to fall too. With tomato prices already at record highs earlier this year, a structurally smaller Mexican crop has serious downstream implications for supply and retail pricing heading into the second half of 2026. The combination of currency pressures and potential El Niño climate volatility adds further uncertainty on top of the tariff headwind.

Watch for tightening supply on rounds, romas, and grape tomatoes as the season progresses. Buyers sourcing heavily from Mexico should be pressure-testing their contingency plans now, particularly if El Niño weather materializes and compounds the volume shortfall.

California Giant Berry Farms VP of Sales and Marketing Tom Smith reports that both blackberry and raspberry seasons in Watsonville are starting earlier than usual this year. Raspberry production is currently at peak, while blackberry volumes are steadily ramping toward a late-July peak. The early start represents a notable shift from typical seasonal timing out of one of California's key berry-growing areas.

An early berry season out of Watsonville has direct implications for retail ad planning and promotional timing. Category managers who built summer berry programs around historical peak windows may need to adjust. The overlap of an early Watsonville season with other regional programs could also put some pressure on pricing if volume builds faster than demand absorbs it.

Worth monitoring whether the early timing affects overall season length — early starts don't always mean extended seasons. Buyers should check in with their berry suppliers now on volume forecasts and pricing trajectory heading into July.

The U.S. has proposed a 12.5% additional tariff on imports from Brazil and 59 other countries as part of an investigation into goods allegedly produced with forced labor. Certain Brazilian fruit categories have been proposed for exemption from the tariff, but the broader levy framework remains active and the situation is still developing. This came just one day after a separate 25% tariff was proposed on Brazilian goods.

Brazil is a meaningful origin for limes — Tahiti limes from São Paulo are a significant volume player in the North American market — and the dual tariff proposals create real uncertainty around pricing and sourcing continuity. Even with exemptions on the table, the instability of back-to-back tariff proposals in as many days makes it hard for importers to plan.

Watch which specific fruit categories are or aren't included in the final exemption list. If limes, mangoes, or other Brazilian staples end up under the tariff, the cost implications for importers and buyers could be significant, especially with Brazilian lime prices already at multi-year lows.

Washington State Tree Fruit Association President Jon DeVaney reports that the Northwest cherry crop is developing well, with growers noting good fruit size and color as harvest activity increases across the region. The positive early quality report comes after several consecutive seasons that were heavily impacted by weather-related challenges. Harvest activity is ramping up across Washington.

Earlier coverage flagged that the season was opening and that one major grower was targeting strong July 4th volume. This is a separate, confirming data point from the industry's main trade association — and it adds important texture. After years of weather disruption, buyers will want to know whether quality is actually holding up, not just that fruit is moving. Early color and size indications are the key variables going into peak shipping windows.

Buyers and category managers building July 4th and summer promotions around Northwest cherries should feel more confident with this confirmation from the WSTFA. Keep watching pack-out data as volume builds — early quality doesn't always hold across the full harvest window.

U.S. Senator Adam Schiff has introduced six bills aimed at expanding support and market access for specialty crop growers, timed ahead of Senate Agriculture Committee discussions on the next Farm Bill. Schiff is notably the first California senator to serve on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, giving California's produce-heavy grower community a direct seat at the table.

Specialty crops — which include the vast majority of fresh fruits and vegetables — have historically been underfunded relative to commodity crops like corn and soybeans in federal farm policy. With Farm Bill negotiations ramping up, any legislative push to expand specialty crop support could have meaningful downstream effects on grower economics, research funding, and market access programs.

Watch this space as the Farm Bill process unfolds. Expanded specialty crop support could benefit growers across California, Florida, and other major producing states that feed North American retail — and could influence everything from crop insurance to export promotion budgets.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced the Destruction of Hazardous Imports Act (H.R. 2715) by a unanimous 43-0 vote. The bipartisan bill would give the FDA authority to destroy imported food products that have been refused entry and determined to pose a significant public health risk, rather than simply sending them back across the border.

Under current rules, rejected food imports can be redirected to other countries or re-attempted for U.S. entry, creating a loophole that food safety advocates say puts consumers at risk. A unanimous committee vote signals strong momentum, and this bill directly affects the produce import supply chain, which moves enormous volumes of fresh fruit and vegetables across U.S. borders daily.

If enacted, this could raise the stakes for importers whose shipments are flagged at the border — destruction rather than redirection is a significantly harder financial hit. Worth watching how this moves through the full House and whether Senate companion legislation follows.

A new Numerator report shows that everyday goods experienced their largest year-over-year price increase in two years during May. The data signals a meaningful acceleration in consumer price pressure after a period of relative stability, and arrives at a time when produce prices — particularly tomatoes — have been running at or near record highs.

For the produce industry, this macro context matters. When everyday goods are getting more expensive across the board, fresh produce competes harder for a shopper's grocery dollar. Value pressure tends to drive trade-down behavior — toward conventional over organic, toward private label, and toward commodities on promotion. Retailers tracking basket size and trip frequency will be watching this closely.

Category managers and salespeople should expect increased scrutiny on price points from retail buyers heading into summer. Promotional depth and price communication strategies may need to be revisited if the inflation trend continues through Q3.

Guatemala is working to become the first country in the Americas to export spring mangoes from officially designated fruit-fly-free zones. Achieving this designation would boost the sector's competitiveness, reduce costs associated with treatments required for fruit fly-risk fruit, and open additional international market opportunities, including expanded access to key import markets.

This is directly relevant for North American mango buyers at a time when mango supply is already tight and prices are elevated. Fruit-fly-free zone status typically removes the requirement for costly vapor heat treatment or cold treatment on imported fruit, which can reduce logistics expenses and improve fruit quality at arrival.

If Guatemala successfully achieves this status, it could meaningfully expand the volume and quality of Guatemalan mangoes available to U.S. buyers during spring windows. Worth monitoring the USDA APHIS approval process, which would need to validate the zone designations before any changes to import protocol take effect.

As the U.S., Mexico, and Canada jointly host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a new ProduceIQ analysis highlights renewed uncertainty around the future of USMCA, the trade agreement that underpins the flow of fresh produce across North America. The piece examines how the political moment — three countries in the global spotlight together — is intersecting with unresolved trade tensions heading into the agreement's formal review period.

USMCA governs the bulk of fresh produce imports into the U.S. from Mexico and Canada, covering everything from avocados and tomatoes to berries and peppers. Any weakening or restructuring of its terms could materially affect pricing, supply reliability, and sourcing strategies across the industry.

The July review window is approaching fast. Buyers and category managers tracking long-term procurement plans should keep a close eye on what comes out of any trilateral discussions in the weeks ahead.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture is urging anyone who bought grapevines from Costco stores in Northern California between April 21 and May 21 to contact their local agricultural commissioner. An invasive pest was discovered among the approximately 13,000 vines that were sold during that period, triggering an urgent outreach effort to trace where the plants ended up.

Invasive pests pose a serious long-term threat to California's wine and table grape industries, which are central to the state's multi-billion dollar fresh produce economy. Early detection and containment are critical — if infested vines were planted in home gardens or small operations near commercial vineyards, the risk of spread increases significantly.

This is worth monitoring for anyone in the table grape supply chain. While the immediate risk is tied to backyard plantings rather than commercial vineyards, any confirmed spread to commercial operations could trigger quarantine actions with broader supply implications down the line.