US fruit imports surge in January and February
Many fruits are best kept in the crisper drawer of a refrigerator set to 40 degrees Fahrenheit or less, on June 8, 2020, in San Antonio, TX. For more FSIS Food Safety refrigerator tips please see - fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/safe-food-handling/refrigeration-and-food-safety/ct_index USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.
US fruit imports jumped by 23% y-o-y to a record $4.9bn during January and February this year, with fresh, frozen and processed categories all seeing double-digit growth, according to USDA data. While import volume did not rise at the same pace as the value (+7% y-o-y), it still reached a record 2.6 million tons.
The ‘other fruit category’ is by far the largest (including avocados, berries and bananas) and rose by 19% to $2.5 billion. But it was the citrus category that registered the most impressive growth, almost doubling to $253 million, driven mainly by mandarins and limes.
Among the top-five supplying countries, import growth was largest from Mexico and Peru (27% each). Next came Chile (+14%), Guatemala (+11%) and Costa Rica (+6%).
