The dominoes continue to fall as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. McCain Foods will pause its $300 million expansion of its processing plant in Othello, Washington. 

Turbulent times have forced the popular produce trade show to change venues from Hong Kong to Singapore. Now it’s rescheduling from September to November 18-20, 2020.   

The American ag secretary Sonny Perdue has announced $2.7 billion to the fruit and vegetable industry to help mitigate losses from the COVID-19 emergency. Of that total, $100 million per month for the next six months are earmarked for a “Buy Fresh” program for food banks and school curbside pickup. 

A fresh produce virtual platform will replace the in-person event slated for mid-June in San Diego. United Fresh LIVE! Will debut the week of June 15, 2020. 

The Produce Marketing Association, based in Newark, Delaware, convened members from 21 countries to discuss the industry’s response to COVID-19. The virtual town hall revealed that bananas, potatoes, carrots and onions are in the highest demand.

The U.S. embassy has suspended processing of new H-2A worker applications in Mexico City and its offices across the country. The U.S. Apple Association, one of the founders of the Agriculture Workforce Coalition, is asking for a reversal of that position. 

The Canadian Senate gave Royal Assent to the new United States-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement on March 13, 2020. It was an historic event, overshadowed by the global pandemic of COVID-19. 

The European Food Safety Authority is closely monitoring the global outbreak of coronavirus disease. Ironically, its headquarters are based in Parma, in the north of Italy, part of the lockdown by the Italian government.

The International Strawberry Symposium has been postponed until 2021 due to the global coronavirus outbreak. It was slated for Rimini, Italy.