Not all growers, however, have been adversely affected. “I wouldn’t say labor has impacted our planted acreage,” comments Gina Nucci, director of health culinary innovation at Mann Packing Company, Inc., “but we definitely have had to apply early for our visas,” she notes. “On the other hand, the increase in minimum wage will probably impact us the most as it increases our overall costs and hinders margins.”
Labor shortages can also impact delivery. “We’re hearing there are times when growers are unable, or it takes longer, to get pallets of produce to customers,” Balestrieri says. “Some of the specialty items can take more than 24 hours because of labor issues,” he notes, “and that means there needs to be good communication with customers around expectations.”
Port Issues
Distributors and brokers not only move Salinas-grown produce throughout the state, region, and country, but ship overseas as well. Many suppliers also meet market demand with imports from Mexico, Europe, and Asia. Unfortunately, long simmering disputes between the Pacific Maritime Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union caused significant congestion and stoppages at 29 West Coast ports.
All of the tension and congestion, of course, wreaked havoc with perishables dealers who could not ship or receive product and consequently, give customers solid delivery dates. Not to mention perishables sitting at the docks with nowhere to go.
Loretta Yim, in sales at Yes Produce, a Los Angeles-based distributor and importer specializing in mushrooms and Asian vegetables, confirms some suppliers were in a bind and the unrest certainly took its toll. “Many of our shipments from overseas are arriving at least five to ten days late,” she explains. “Without predictability or a schedule of availability, some of our buyers are looking elsewhere for their product.”
To make matters worse, Yim contends, “due to the delays, we experienced spoilage. We looked into other options, such as shipping to San Francisco or sourcing from local growers, but the situation was very challenging. We experienced on-and-off delays since last summer.”
The same situation was reportedly affecting citrus shippers, many of whom were forced to truck their loads to ports outside the Los Angeles and Long Beach area, to get them on boats for export.
