Excessive heat early in the west coast growing season, coupled with above-average night time temperatures all season long, have resulted in significant supply and quality issues on iceberg lettuce. Quality issues that have been reported include internal burn, puffiness, insect damage and lighter weights. The ongoing warm temperatures and high humidity are resulting in thinner textures and shorter shelf life of product.
Many west coast shippers are pro-rating shipments, and demand continues to exceed supply. This has driven up pricing to over $20 per carton. This is an industry-wide problem, and the market is expected to stay in the $20-24 range until transition to the desert growing regions later this year.
Stay tuned for updates as this situation develops.
Members of Freshway’s management team recently completed CPR(Cardiopulmonary resuscitation), AED (Automated external defibrillator) and First Aid training. The training class, provided by Upper Valley Safety Training, LLC, expanded the number of trained individuals to provide ample facility coverage on all shifts and in all departments.
Kent Barga, owner of Upper Valley Safety Training LLC was on hand for the training, which was led by instructor Jim Eberly, a certified CPR, First Aid and AED trainer.
According to the American Heart Association, 383,000 out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrests occur annually, and 70% of Americans feel helpless to act during a cardiac emergency because they either do not know how to administer CPR or their training has significantly lapsed. Training in CPR and use of automated external defibrillators (AED’s) can mean the difference between life and death during a cardiac emergency.
“This training is important to our ability to provide life-saving services to our associates when and if they are needed,” says Safety Manager Mark Nuss about the training program. “We hope that these services are never needed, but it is important to be prepared for emergency situations before they happen,” he adds.
Members of Freshway’s management team who completed the training were as follows:
Charles Bolton – Sanitation Manager
Steve Collins – Project Manager
Roger Cordell, Jr. – Sanitation Manager
Matthew Cox – First Shift Production Manager
Jeff Free – Shipping Manager
Jim Gooding – First Shift Production Manager
Mark Nuss – Safety Manager
Chris Reason – Receiving Manager
John Reeves – Second Shift Production Manager
Terry Strope – First Shift Production Manager
Training for additional members of Freshway’s management team is being scheduled for a later date.
If you are interested in CPR/AED/First Aid, we recommend you contact your local chapter of the American Red Cross to find out about classes in your area.