MONTEREY, CA — A panel of industry experts convened during the Produce Marketing Association’s 30th annual Foodservice Conference & Exposition, here, to explore the role of flavor in boosting produce consumption.

When the Michelin Guide first started assigning stars to restaurants in 1926, establishments could earn one to three stars based on their service and quality of food, said panelist Jelger de Vriend of Innovative Fresh. A three-star establishment was truly exceptional, he said, meaning that people would make a special trip to experience a flavor sensation.

Garlic prices in the U.S. market have been unusually high over the last 18 months or so, due largely to diminished production from China for the past two seasons. That has been a benefit to garlic growers and shippers in California who just a few years prior saw their returns take a beating season after season from cheap Chinese garlic flooding the market.

The 2011 garlic harvest was currently underway in both California and China as of late July. California

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has relaxed its fumigation procedures for Peruvian asparagus imported into the United States, according to Frank Ramos, a customs broker and president of The Perishable Specialist, based in Miami, FL.

“This is beautiful news,” said Mr. Ramos. “It lowers the cost [of fumigation] and lowers the suffering of the product.”

Mr. Ramos said that the new protocol came out late on Aug. 4 and is in effect as of today, Aug. 5.

TRANSPORTATION

Truck availability on the West Coast is adequate. Freight rates were expected to remain near the summer season’s peak heading into mid-August.

The price of crude oil fell $1.90 Aug. 3 to $91.89 per barrel, which is 37 percent below record levels of July 2008. The nationwide average price for a gallon of diesel the week of Aug. 1 was $3.94, 34 percent higher than one year ago. The average price in California for a gallon of diesel was $4.14, 32 percent higher than last year.

BROCCOLI