Week in Review: An optimistic end to a busy news week 

In a normal week, the biggest news could be the suspension and resumption of shipping a top U.S. import or a recall after a food safety outbreak or a major retail acquisition or an inflation report showing the high cost of fruits and vegetables. 

This week, we have all that. 

The U.S. suspended all activities in Michoacán, Mexico, including avocado inspections, last week, essentially stopping the importation of the fruit to the U.S. but announced yesterday that all government activities there have resumed. 

The good news is that it was short enough that it’s not expected to significantly affect the U.S. avocado market. 

The California Avocado Commission highlighted that organized crime reportedly is manipulating the market and called for a seasonal tariff-rate quota. 

Commission President Ken Melban said, “Our growers have no hope of surviving when the ordinary rules of the market are replaced by the Wild Wild West.” 

In retail news, C&S Wholesale Grocers announced a proposed transaction to be the majority owner of The Winn-Dixie Company, finalizing in early 2027. 

This summer, an outbreak of Cyclospora linked to Mexican lettuce has dominated the news, but another outbreak made news this week. 

Upon notification that Coast Citrus Distributors is voluntarily recalling fresh jalapeños due to potential Salmonella contamination, Taylor Fresh Foods recalled finished products containing jalapeños subject to this recall. 

And finally, the monthly inflation report showed fresh fruits and vegetables continue to outpace overall inflation, as its annual cost is 5.5 percent higher than a year ago, higher than 3.4 percent for all items and 3.0 percent annual food inflation. 

Optimists will point to monthly fresh produce inflation dropping 0.2 percent from June to July. 

We will need to see gas prices drop to help produce prices decrease, and this week, we do see prices drop 7.3 cents per gallon for regular and 9.1 cents per gallon for diesel. 

There’s the dog days of summer optimism we need.