Pesticide Data Program Backgrounder

Rice Fruit Co: Behind the Scenes of Apple Businesses During COVID-19

When COVID-19 hit south-central Pennsylvania in mid-March, it became clear that daily operations at Rice Fruit Company needed to change immediately and drastically to adapt to their status as an essential business. As the vice president of sales and marketing, Brenda Briggs helped the more than 100-year-old family-run business act quickly to keep employees safe … Continued

Rinse & Refrigerate

A simple rinse under the tap is all that is needed to clean your apples. Upon arrival at the packing facility, apples are thoroughly washed to remove any dirt from the orchard. Once you’ve rinsed them, be sure to refrigerate your apples to keep them longer. By storing apples in the refrigerator, they will last … Continued

Apple Stages: From the Tree to the Grocery Store

What are the stages of an apple after it’s picked? Apples picked in the orchard are carefully (to avoid bruising) placed in harvest bins with a capacity of roughly 20 bushels (each bushel weighs about 42 pounds) that have been placed between the orchard rows to be collected as they are filled. The full bins … Continued

Apple Storage Backgrounder

How old is an apple by the time someone buys it at the grocery store? The question should not be about the “age” of the apple, or the time since it was picked, but rather it should be about how fresh the apple is. Growers and researchers have focused on the challenge of maintaining the … Continued

Apples and Wax Backgrounder

If you walked out into an orchard, picked an apple from the tree and rubbed that apple on your shirt, you would notice that it shined − you´ve just polished the natural wax that an apple produces to protect its high-water content. Without wax, vegetables and fruits, like apples, would lose their vital crispness and … Continued

Listeria Backgrounder

Listeria monocytogenes Listeria monocytogenes is an environmental pathogenic bacteria that can commonly be found in soil, water and vegetative matter. Because of the inherent association between Listeria and agricultural environments, the potential exists for Listeria to be introduced onto a variety of fresh produce products. Foods linked to contamination with Listeria monocytogenes include fresh produce … Continued

Pesticide Data Program Backgrounder

Summary: In January 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture published the results of its 30th annual Pesticide Data Program (PDP). The PDP collects data on pesticide residues in a wide variety of foods, with a strong focus on foods that are consumed by infants and children. The report presents data on a changing market basket … Continued