Mission Produce has continued to support the management of its customers’ avocado sales programmes through the release of the AvocaDOs and DON’Ts ­– Quality Reference Guide. The third edition in the AvocaDOs and DON’Ts series provides information about storage and handling techniques based on seasonality and origin of the fruit, as well as proper assessment practices for ripening and detailed descriptions of quality conditions. “Avocado users are hungry for more information i

Animal identification by means of marking animals’ bodies was first recorded 3,800 yr ago in the Code of Hammurabi, and throughout history, valuable animals such as horses have been identified to prevent thievery all over the world. Today, the reasons for identification of livestock include production management, control of disease outbreaks, establishment of ownership, requirements for export, and consumer demands. Additionally, there are many methods of animal identificatio

Rain in the growing regions has affected supplies of hot peppers out of Mexico. Higher volume varieties such as Jalapeno and Serrano have seen sporadic production in recent weeks, leading to the tightening of supply. Growers say it is the difficulty in harvesting that is the main cause, but excess rain can also damage the product. "Many regions in Mexico are in production right now, including Sinaloa, Chihuahua, Coahuila and Zacatecas," said one hot pepper grower. "There has