Arizona
Where are the berries? Recent California storms causing strawberry shortages in Arizona
Current California storms leading to berry shortages
Should you’ve been having a tough time discovering strawberries at grocery shops, you are not alone, and up to date climate occasions are responsible for the scarcity. FOX 10’s Nicole Garcia stories.
PHOENIX – Many individuals throughout the Phoenix space have observed that baskets of berries are lacking from grocery retailer cabinets these days.
April Summers, who owns Summers Fruit Barn, mentioned strawberries are often plentiful, and really inexpensive this time of 12 months, however not for 2023.
“We have not been capable of have gross sales on strawberries like we usually do,” mentioned April Summers, who owns Summers Fruit Barn.
This is because of a scarcity that’s anticipated to final a number of weeks. Many California growers are reporting they’ve needed to throw away a portion of their strawberry crop due to harm from heavy rains.
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“There was a giant time period I did not carry any,” mentioned April Summers, who owns Summers Fruit Barn. “I could not afford to purchase the strawberries to promote as a result of I would should mark them up a lot.”
Greater than 90% of strawberries offered within the U.S. are grown in California, and plenty of farms had been flooded from the barrage of again to again storms. Because of this, the present crop is both dangerous or late, and that leads to restricted, or no provide, of strawberries on retailer cabinets.
Apart from strawberries, different standard summer season berries are additionally affected.
“Now, it is blueberries, and everyone seems to be saying the identical factor: the place’s the blueberries? Clients saying we will not discover blueberries, I say ‘I do know. I am with you.’ Once I do discover them, they’re so outrageously excessive,” mentioned Summers.
Farmers anticipate strawberries to be in extraordinarily low provide for the subsequent couple of weeks, however they’re hoping for a bumper crop to reap in a couple of month.