NOAA has confirmed that El Niño conditions have developed in the tropical Pacific and are intensifying, according to Summit Produce's Franco Pruzzo. The advisory marks a shift from forecast to reality, and produce professionals are already thinking through what it means for sourcing from key Southern Hemisphere growing regions.

El Niño typically brings drier-than-normal conditions to parts of South America and wetter conditions to others, with downstream effects on volume and quality for key imports like Chilean grapes, Peruvian blueberries, and asparagus. The concern isn't just one season — El Niño events can drag on for multiple growing cycles.

Buyers planning fall and winter import programs should factor climate risk into their sourcing assumptions. Watch for any early signals from Peru and Chile on how the pattern is affecting developing crops.

Following a strong Fourth of July promotional week, produce advertising is stepping back as the holiday demand peak passes. The July 4th period saw heavy featuring of cherries, nectarines, peaches, berries, melons, grapes, and plums, along with vegetables like corn, asparagus, and sweet peppers.

Post-holiday ad pullback is a normal seasonal pattern, but this year's context matters — retailers leaned hard into summer stone fruit and berries during the promotional window, which may mean near-term ad support for those categories softens. The question now is how quickly retailers pivot to back-to-school themes and which produce items anchor that transition.

For sales teams and category managers, this is the window to start thinking about what features shift coming out of the holiday. Categories that didn't get peak July exposure may be better positioned for summer's final promotional push in August.

Cherry growers in Montana's Flathead region are reporting crop losses after freezing temperatures during bloom cut production in some orchards. Brian Campbell of Monson Fruit Company noted that growers also expect lower supplies from Washington this season, a combination that points to tighter domestic cherry availability overall.

Flathead Lake cherries are a premium regional variety, but the Washington comment is the more significant detail here. Washington is by far the largest domestic cherry-producing state, and any confirmation of below-average supply there adds to an already compressed cherry season after earlier reports of Northwest crop reductions.

Combined with Michigan's documented crop struggles this season, the picture for domestic cherries is getting tighter across multiple growing regions. Buyers should factor reduced availability into any late-July and August planning.

The Washington State Tree Fruit Association has decided to stop publishing early-season apple crop estimates, citing the pricing friction that often resulted when initial projections didn't match final harvest volumes. The move is a deliberate step to reduce market volatility driven by speculative forecasting.

Early estimates have historically shaped buyer expectations, promotional calendars, and negotiating positions — sometimes in ways that didn't reflect reality once harvest wrapped. Removing that data point forces the industry to rely more on real-time signals closer to harvest rather than projections made months out.

Buyers who have built their fall apple planning around WSTFA's early-season numbers will need to adjust their approach. Watch for more reliance on grower-level communication and mid-season updates as the alternative information source for the 2026 crop.

Wakefern Food Corp has announced a $500 million commitment to sourcing fresh produce from local growers, timed ahead of its annual Local Produce Supplier Summit on July 15. The pledge signals a significant prioritization of regional supply relationships from one of the largest retailer-owned cooperatives in the U.S.

Wakefern operates ShopRite and other banners primarily across the Northeast, a region where local sourcing carries strong consumer resonance. A commitment of this size, made public ahead of a supplier-facing event, suggests the cooperative is actively looking to deepen grower partnerships and potentially expand its local procurement base.

For growers and regional distributors in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, this is worth paying attention to heading into the summer and fall seasons. The July 15 summit may surface more specific category priorities and sourcing windows.

Walmart has launched a summer price-cut initiative across groceries and other goods, with ground beef receiving nearly a 12% price decrease. The rollbacks also extend to Lay's chips and private label foods, signaling a broad push to lower consumer costs heading into the back half of the year.

For the produce industry, a Walmart pricing push of this scale sets tone across the retail landscape. When the largest grocer in North America signals aggressive value positioning, it creates pressure on competitors and can influence how buyers negotiate promotional programs and everyday pricing through the summer.

Watch for whether Walmart's rollbacks extend more explicitly into fresh produce categories. Any movement on high-volume items like berries, melons, or grapes could ripple through the promotional calendar for the rest of the summer.

Hronis, Inc., a California table grape grower and shipper, is actively harvesting, packing, and shipping grapes following a successful Chapter 11 auction. The company says it will continue to fulfill customer commitments throughout the 2026 season despite the restructuring process it went through.

Hronis is a notable name in the California table grape supply chain, and its ability to continue operations post-auction is meaningful for buyers who had open commitments or were watching to see whether the bankruptcy would disrupt supply. A successful auction outcome means the business continues under new or restructured ownership with harvest already underway.

For buyers sourcing California table grapes this season, this is worth tracking — understanding who now controls Hronis and whether programs and pricing terms remain intact will be an important follow-up conversation with your rep.

The Citrus Growers' Association of Southern Africa has formally called for continued tariff-free access for South African citrus exports to the U.S., ahead of a public hearing on proposed tariffs scheduled for July 7. CGA CEO Dr. Boitshoko Ntshabele argued the trade arrangement benefits both South African growers and American consumers.

South African citrus — including navel oranges, lemons, and soft citrus — plays a meaningful role in supplementing U.S. supply during the Northern Hemisphere's off-season. With domestic Florida citrus volumes constrained by HLB and hurricane damage, Southern Hemisphere imports have become more critical to keeping retail shelves stocked. Any new tariffs on South African citrus could tighten that already-limited supply and push prices higher.

The July 7 hearing is the immediate thing to watch — the outcome could directly affect import costs and availability for buyers sourcing Southern Hemisphere citrus for fall and winter programs.

Ontario's pepper programs are getting underway, with hot pepper harvest expected to start in mid-July and supply running through October. Exeter Produce and Storage Company grows approximately 15 different hot pepper varieties, with growers reporting good early crop development heading into the season.

Ontario's Leamington greenhouse belt and field production are key sources of peppers for the eastern Canadian and northeastern U.S. markets during summer and fall. A clean start to the season is positive news for buyers who rely on Ontario supply as a complement or alternative to Mexican and California programs.

For category managers planning fall pepper programs, this is a useful early signal — a strong Ontario start could add competitive volume and provide sourcing flexibility as western programs transition later in the summer.

Rhode Island has enacted legislation prohibiting grocers from using restrictive real estate covenants — clauses that prevent future tenants from operating competing grocery stores in the same location. The state follows Washington in banning a practice that legislators argue contributes to food deserts by locking communities out of grocery access even after a store closes or relocates.

These covenants have been a common but quietly controversial tool in retail real estate, allowing established grocers to effectively block competition in a given area for years or even decades after vacating a site. Critics say this can leave entire neighborhoods without food access, while defenders argue it protects investment and site development decisions.

As more states look at this issue, produce-forward retailers and regional chains expanding into underserved markets may find new real estate opportunities opening up in states that enact similar legislation — worth monitoring for expansion-minded operators.

Honeybear Brands is projecting a strong organic apple season, citing a six percent uptick in global sales and plans to deliver consistent supply across its five core organic apple varieties. The company is framing the season as one built on reliable volume rather than promotional spikes.

Organic apples have been a bright spot in the broader apple category, with consumer interest in organic fruit holding even as shoppers face general price pressure elsewhere in the store. A confident supply outlook from a major grower-shipper like Honeybear gives category managers cleaner planning visibility heading into fall programs.

With the Pacific Northwest new crop transition approaching, this is worth bookmarking — a well-supplied organic program from an established player could offer promotional opportunities for retailers looking to drive organic apple velocity this fall.

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has committed $500,000 through its Agricultural Surplus System to purchase, process, and transport 350 tons of Concord grapes from 11 growers in the Erie region after their contracted buyer cancelled orders for the entire 2026 crop back in March.

Contract cancellations of this scale are a serious disruption for small and mid-size growers, and state intervention to absorb surplus production is relatively uncommon. The Erie region is one of the largest Concord grape-producing areas in the country, and this situation highlights the vulnerability that comes with single-buyer dependency.

This is worth watching as a case study in supply chain fragility for regional specialty crops. Buyers working with smaller growers on contract should note the downstream fallout when large off-takers exit — and the growing role state ag departments are playing in backstopping those gaps.

Florida is directing nearly $196 million in state funding toward its citrus industry, with the money aimed at accelerating recovery from the dual pressures of citrus greening disease (HLB) and hurricane damage. The investment represents a significant financial commitment from the state to keep the industry viable as growers continue to face existential threats on multiple fronts.

Florida citrus has been in a decades-long decline driven primarily by HLB, which has decimated grove productivity and sharply reduced domestic orange supply. Recent hurricanes have compounded the damage, leaving many growers unable to recover without external support. This funding follows prior state and federal investments in citrus research and relief, reflecting ongoing urgency around the industry's survival.

This is worth monitoring for buyers who source Florida citrus or track domestic orange and grapefruit availability — state investment of this scale signals that production is still under serious stress, and near-term supply constraints are unlikely to ease quickly even with new funding in place.

A Chilean grower-packer, Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A., marketing under the Comfrut brand, has issued a recall of 10-ounce GreenWise Organic IQF Blueberries sold at Publix stores after the product tested presumptively positive for E. coli O145, a Shiga toxin-producing strain (STEC).

This adds a new layer to the blueberry food safety story — identifying the source as a Chilean supplier and naming the specific STEC strain involved. STEC strains like E. coli O145 can cause serious illness, and the IQF format means these products could still be in consumers' freezers.

Watch for follow-up testing results and any expansion of the recall to additional SKUs or retail channels. Buyers sourcing IQF blueberries from Chilean suppliers should confirm their product is not part of this supply chain.