Week in Review: August optimism to shake the summer gloom 

Happy National Avocado Day! To celebrate, consumers can get free chips and guacamole today and tomorrow at Chipotle with the purchase of an entrée. Chipotle celebrates National Avocado Day with two days of free guac – Blue Book 

And Avocados from Mexico launches its AVO.AI answer engine for all consumers’ avocado questions related to kitchen, storage, nutrition, and recipe questions. Avocados From Mexico launches Avo.AI for National Avocado Day – Blue Book 

Summer fruit is in abundance, but cherry season is winding down quickly. NW Cherry Growers urge retail promotion as season winds down – Blue Book 

Unfortunately, gloom hovers over the produce industry and national economy. 

The Cyclospora outbreak remains in the news, as 9 states are now officially a part of the outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants. Cyclospora outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce expands to 9 states – Blue Book 

The FDA says there is “overwhelming epidemiological data supporting the current voluntary recall by Taylor Farms,” but that product should be out of the market, and there continue to be no deaths associated with it. 

The outbreak has caused consumers to avoid some restaurants, including Taco Bell, and people are buying less lettuce, as NielsenIQ reports fresh lettuce sales were down 9 percent for the week ending July 18 and 19 percent lower than two weeks prior. US diners avoid restaurants as cyclosporiasis fears cut lettuce sales | Reuters 

As the conflict with Iran continues, national gas prices rose again this week by 9.5 cents per gallon for regular and 17.9 cents per gallon for diesel. Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update – U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 

High fuel prices remain one of the reasons the U.S. economy slowed to 1.5 percent growth in the second quarter, lower than the 1.8 percent expected from economists. U.S. GDP Slowed to 1.5% in Second Quarter as Iran War Weighs on Gas Prices – WSJ 

As we turn the page from July to August tomorrow, there are two things we can look forward to: back-to-school economic activity, along with summer-weary parents sending their kids back, and the start of football season.