Seald Sweet has welcomed the arrival of the first containers of Argentine fresh lemons into the US since the lifting on the import ban last year, following a 17-year absence from the market.
The consignment arrived at the Port of Philadelphia last week and will be handled through Seald Sweet’s own state-of-the-art logistics hub and packing facilities in New Jersey, close to the port to ensure quality control.
The company said it expects consistent shipments to last through to mid-July.
“Argentine lemons are considered the top lemons in the world with superior juice quality and content,” said Mayda Sotomayor, CEO of Seald Sweet.
“We are thrilled to be able to bring this quality, fresh product to US consumers. Argentina is one of the largest, best-known lemon growers in the world and we always remained hopeful that this superior product would be back in our marketplace.”
Seald Sweet, which had an Argentine lemon programme up to the year 2000 when the USDA imposed the controversial ban, expects to be the major US receiver of lemons from Argentina this season.
“We were one of the first importers then and are one of the first importers this time as well,” said Sotomayor.
“For 17 years, we have never given up hope and have continued contact and meetings with the growers. We held the belief that science would triumph and we would once again gain admissibility to the US market.”
According to Sotomayor, Argentina’s supply answers a real demand in the market. “In the US, lemons are the third most consumed citrus fruit and the ninth overall,” she said.
“Lemons have gone from a per capita consumption of 2.03lbs in 1980 to 4.32lbs in 2015. The advantage of Argentina’s programme is that we can providefreshproduct to the marketplace instead of storage product. Retailers are requesting this as consumers increasingly demand affordable fresh lemons. We are answering the call from consumers for fresh fruit throughout the year.”
Seald Sweet noted that the lemon programme from Argentina has room to grow. “The producers in Argentina have formed an association called “All Lemon” to ensure consistent production of a quality lemon globally,” Sotomayor continued.
“We are working with them to increase supply and grow our consistent programme as we see demand for fresh lemons during this window increasing.”
