In the Freiburg area, too, temperatures are rising to 40 degrees this week. This has a corresponding effect on the food trade, especially with perishable fruit and vegetables. "The weekly markets are still taking place, but with the current heat, the goods do not last as long outside, which in turn is taken into account regarding purchasing. In specialist retail, on the other hand, we are observing a stable purchase of goods. There is no longer any question of a summer slump, as there was until a few years ago," says Volkan Günes, Managing Director of Sun Früchte, based at the Freiburg wholesale market.

Currently, traditional thirst quenchers such as watermelons are also well received in the wholesale market company's stand sales. "The Moroccan season is now coming to an end; it is increasingly being replaced by Italy and Greece. The supply is hardly sufficient to meet the continuously high demand. Overall, watermelons are currently being traded at quite high prices, with some quotations twice as high as in other years, although Spain and Italy are generally somewhat cheaper," Günes describes.

Bottlenecks threatening Italian products
In general, fruit and vegetable prices across the entire range are relatively high and stable at the moment. Due to the ongoing drought in the growing regions of Southern Europe, Günes said that supply shortages and further price increases must also be expected soon. "For Italian herbs and leaf lettuces in particular, we have to prepare for shortages due to the precarious water shortage," the fruit merchant predicts.

Overall, the mood at the local wholesale market in Freiburg is quite good, Günes continues. "Sales have almost settled down to the pre-Corona level in terms of volume. Especially when it comes to vegetables, people are now increasingly turning to regional products, which is why we, as a classic import company, are handling less volume. Fruits, on the other hand, are traded at full volume."

Wide range of tomatoes
The positive exception in the vegetable category is tomatoes, which are currently being traded briskly. Günes: "We source our tomatoes mainly from Belgium and Italy and carry a basic range of around 15 varieties. In particular, the more unusual varieties such as date tomatoes, Picatelli and San Marzano are increasingly popular. However, the seasonal hit is the bell pepper tomato, which not only has a great taste, but also has a very good shelf life."

Source - https://www.freshplaza.com