Tag Archives: market pricing

Watch the Trailer for ‘Caffeinated,’ Coming to Theaters July 14 – Eater

The film takes viewers from farm to cup.

For those who are curious about exactly where their coffee comes from, Caffeinated attempts to tell the story. From filmmakers Vishal Solanki and Hanh Nguyen, the documentary explores America’s most populous coffee-drinking cities and producing countries, featuring interviews with both connoisseurs and farmers. Caffeinated will see a nationwide release in select theaters and streaming services on July 14. See the official trailer above.

via Watch the Trailer for ‘Caffeinated,’ Coming to Theaters July 14 – Eater.

Organic Farmers Object to Whole Foods Rating System – NYTimes.com

Like a whale and the myriad barnacles clinging to its sides, Whole Foods Market and organic farmers have long had a symbiotic relationship.

The grocer has helped stoke the American appetite for organic products, building stores that are essentially showcases for organic fruits, vegetables and flowers tagged with the names of the farmers who grow them.

But that mutually beneficial relationship is now fraying, as Whole Foods faces increasing competition from mainstream grocery chains and as organic farmers find more and more outlets for their produce.

Now, some organic farmers contend that Whole Foods is quietly using its formidable marketing skills and its credibility with consumers to convey that conventionally grown produce is just as good — or even better — than their organically grown products. Shoppers can choose from fruits and vegetables carrying the designation of “good,” “better” or “best.”

Continue reading the main story

RELATED COVERAGE

Whole Foods Market Reports a Rise in SalesFEB. 11, 2015

The longtime suppliers to Whole Foods are complaining that the program called Responsibly Grown can grant a farmer who does not meet the stringent requirements for federal organic certification the same rating as an organic farmer, or even a higher one. Conventional growers can receive higher rankings than organic farmers by doing things like establishing a garbage recycling program, relying more on alternative energy sources, eliminating some pesticides and setting aside a portion of fields as a conservation area.

via Organic Farmers Object to Whole Foods Rating System – NYTimes.com.

Lobster Prices Surge Due To Cold Ocean Temperatures

Remember those halcyon days when lobster was so cheap that you could afford to put it on mac n’ cheese, french fries, tacos and grilled cheeses? You know, way back in 2013?

Those days are over.

Over the past year-and-change, lobster prices have risen sharply since record catches in Maine pushed them to historic lows in 2012 and 2013. In April, the Maine Department of Marine Resources reported that lobster prices rose 79 cents per pound between 2013 and 2014, the biggest rise in recorded history. That was great news for Maine lobstermen, who netted $456 million worth of shellfish in 2014, the most ever. But it’s disappointing to consumers who have grown used to relatively low prices for luxurious lobster meat.

The price surge has accelerated this year. Though reliable data on lobster prices is somewhat hard to come by, the spot price for wholesale live lobster in Boston reached as high as $5.25 a pound on June 9. And data provided to The Huffington Post by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration indicated that the average price of a pound of lobster at wholesale climbed as high as $7.90 this March. Though lobster prices usually peak in the spring, that’s 32 percent higher than the price in March 2014.

CNN Money attributed the recent spike in prices to this winter’s unusually cold weather in the Northeast. The North Atlantic remains colder than it usually is at this time of year, so lobsters have, by and large, stayed out of reach of fishermen.

Matt Jacobson, executive director of the Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative, said that prices should ease as water temperatures rise this summer, just in time for vacationers in Cape Cod and Kennebunkport to feast on lobster rolls. But it’s unlikely that they’ll dip back down to the lows they hit a couple years ago.

via Lobster Prices Surge Due To Cold Ocean Temperatures.