Blueberry prices are expected to stay elevated over the next two to four weeks as production declines across several growing regions simultaneously. The tightening supply picture is creating upward price pressure in a category that has seen heavy volume from Peruvian imports in recent months.

This is a notable near-term shift for a category that has been dealing with oversupply dynamics earlier in the season. When multiple regions pull back at once, there's limited ability to source around the gap, which typically pushes prices higher across the board.

Buyers and category managers with blueberry promotions scheduled in the next month should reassess cost assumptions now. Pricing visibility will be limited until regional harvests stabilize, so locking in volumes or adjusting ad planning sooner rather than later is worth considering.

The FDA published two produce recall announcements on August 29, 2026. Everything Sprouts, LLC, based in Minneapolis, has expanded a voluntary recall to include certain lots of its Robust Radish Sprouts. A separate recall was also announced involving mangoes due to potential bacterial contamination risks.

With Cyclospora and Salmonella outbreaks already dominating food safety headlines, these two additional recalls add to an unusually active period for produce safety. Sprouts carry elevated contamination risk due to the warm, humid conditions required for growth, while mangoes represent a key tropical staple moving through major retail and foodservice channels.

Retail and foodservice buyers handling either product should verify lot numbers against the FDA announcements immediately. Two simultaneous recalls in unrelated categories is worth flagging internally, particularly given heightened consumer and regulatory scrutiny on produce safety right now.

Ongoing forest fires in Tolima and Huila — two of Colombia's primary Tahiti lime-producing regions — are causing a product shortage in the domestic market and pushing prices higher, according to Óscar Portilla of De Los Ángeles Produce. The fires are reducing the supply available in the market, creating immediate pressure on availability.

Colombia is a meaningful supplier of limes to the North American market, and domestic shortages driven by production disruptions can translate into reduced export volumes. This comes at a time when the lime market has already been navigating supply transitions and price volatility linked to earlier events in the region.

Watch for any signals that reduced Colombian domestic supply is starting to pull volume away from export channels — that would be the next indicator to track for North American lime buyers. Current lime market conditions make any further supply disruption from a key origin worth monitoring closely.

Heavy rainfall and flooding have hit banana plantations across Costa Rica's Caribbean production regions, with some fields remaining flooded for up to 36 hours. Affected areas include major producing zones such as Matina, Guácimo, Siquirres, Pocoí, Limón, Talamanca, Valle de la Estrella, and Sarapiquí, with the heaviest impacts occurring between August 15 and the end of the month.

Costa Rica is one of the largest banana export sources for the North American market. Extended flooding creates ideal conditions for fungal diseases like Black Sigatoka, which can reduce yield and fruit quality over the medium term even after water recedes. Extended saturation also delays field operations and can damage root systems.

Banana buyers and category managers should monitor for any supply tightening or quality concerns in the coming weeks as the damage is assessed. This is worth watching heading into the fall, when any volume shortfall in a staple category like bananas gets amplified quickly.

Growers and shippers are signaling that the California table grape season could end earlier than usual. According to Philippe Markarian of Mirabella Farms, harvest volumes are exceeding what's currently being shipped because fruit is ripening ahead of schedule — but that early timing could mean a shorter overall window before the season wraps.

California table grapes have already been flagged in recent Ripe coverage for a supply-demand imbalance, with volumes up sharply versus demand. An earlier-than-expected close to the season would be a meaningful market development, accelerating the transition to import supply from Peru and Chile.

Buyers and category managers running grape programs through September and October should get updated timing estimates from their California suppliers now. A compressed domestic window affects promotional planning, retail pricing, and when import supply needs to step in to bridge the gap.

Wild blueberry growers in Nova Scotia are reporting a significantly improved season compared to 2025, when drought conditions caused major production losses. Janette McDonald, executive director of the Wild Blueberry Producers Association of Nova Scotia, confirmed that conditions look much better this year.

Nova Scotia is the largest wild blueberry producing region in North America. A rebound in production here adds meaningful supply to a category that is already seeing tightening from cultivated blueberry regions. Wild blueberries trade largely in the frozen and processed channels but also have a retail fresh presence.

For buyers sourcing wild blueberries for frozen, processed, or fresh programs, this recovery is a positive signal for availability heading into harvest. It also adds a counterweight to the tightening dynamics in cultivated blueberry supply flagged elsewhere in today's newsletter.