Produce news

Produce news

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
Tomato farmers say they're "rolling the dice" as they plant their crops amid tumultuous markets. Demand for canned tomato products has risen during the pandemic, but sales to restaurants and other food-service customers have dropped. Farmers say they're maintaining their planting plans for processing tomatoes that will be harvested this summer, and that they have also adjusted operations to accommodate new employee safety measures during the pandemic.

As one of the most consumed fresh vegetables, lettuce plays an important role in American diets--and researchers say increasing nutrients in lettuce could improve health without asking people to change their dietary habits. At a Future of Lettuce Symposium, California scientists described progress in breeding lettuce higher in nutrients such as vitamin C, antioxidants and beta carotene, and lettuce that lasts longer after harvest.

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