“It had old blow-in insulation and other outdated equipment,” Armata continued. “Now, all the rooms are paneled and have state-of-the-art refrigeration and other equipment. We can fight the elements better—produce arrives at temperature, is racked at temperature, and is delivered at temperature.”
Armata says even without a rebuild decision, they needed to make the repairs. “There’s big uncertainty in the market—how long we will stay and if we will go somewhere else,” he comments. “But we believe in the industry and in the market, and wanted to do what we could to handle product in accordance with the quality expectations of our customers.”
GMOs, Traceability and Organics
Labeling
A bill mandating labels on foods containing GMO (genetically modified organism) ingredients died in the state legislature this past June. Advocates were promising to push it through next year, calling for transparency and consumer choice, while others were saying it would only raise food prices and GMOs had been scientifically proven as safe.
The impact on Hunts Point isn’t clear, and likely would be minimal since most merchants, except for repackers, move produce from farm to retailer, outside any GMO labeling requirements.
Of more urgency is traceability, as requirements are evolving with chains and larger retailers demanding more than the previous one-up-one-down tracking.
“The big retailers are leading this initiative, and the smaller shops will follow,” says Tramutola. “In our business, we move a lot of produce in a small area, so high-level traceability would slow us down. In the future, we will all have to get tagged lots to have clear origin information for all the produce that goes out.”
The trend is already in play for some grower-shippers. Gregori, who supplies vegetables to the market, says Lynn-Ette & Sons moves about 4 million pounds of cabbage each year and labels every lot.
Organics
Another trend that has yet to fully take root in the wholesale market is organics. While consumers are more and more interested in organics, the bulk of produce sold at Hunts Point is still conventional fruits and vegetables.
“We’re not selling organics yet,” DiMaggio reveals. “Maybe in the future… Everyone likes the idea, but when it comes down to price, they back away.”
Hunts agrees on the expense, but looks at the situation a little differently. “I don’t see organics catching on strongly until they get a foothold on restaurant menus. The best comparison is fish—there’s a clear distinction between farm-raised and wild-caught fish that justifies the difference in price. With meat or fish, I’m personally willing to pay a dollar or two more a pound, but not everyone can afford a $9.00 head of cauliflower.”
