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Rijk Zwaan’s organic range covers the whole spectrum, from established favourites to interesting newcomers. The vegetable breeding company continues to invest heavily in the development of organic seeds in response to the ever-rising level of demand from growers, retailers and consumers.

The foodservice sector continues to enjoy strong growth worldwide. New restaurants are opening all the time, offering an increasingly diverse choice of food. One thing that unites all foodservice businesses is their quest to find high-quality iceberg lettuce with a long shelf life that also retains its crunch in sandwiches and hamburgers.

The demand for organic vegetables is still growing. The market has expanded in the last 18 years from $18 billion to over $100 billion last year (source: Ecovia Intelligence). Sales are increasing annually, mainly in Europe and North America. This poses an enormous challenge for the whole organic chain of growers, traders and retailers. Rijk Zwaan is responding to this challenge and is now starting to call on all its partners to cooperate and become stronger together.

For years, there has been an urgent need from growers to cucumber varieties with Fusarium oxysporum resistance. Rijk Zwaan has become the first vegetable breeding company to introduce not one but two such varieties onto the commercial market. The newcomers Forami RZ and 24-272 RZ are both resistant to the fungal infection which is notably difficult to combat. The varieties are particularly suitable for growers in Spain, Greece and South Africa.

The international trade fair, Asia Fruit Logistica will be held in Hong Kong from 4-6 September. Both Rijk Zwaan and Levarht have been participating for many years, presenting their latest innovations. This year, both companies will present Asian Jewels: a range of melon varieties specifically developed for the Asian market. The product presentation is the latest step in the close collaboration between Levarht and Rijk Zwaan to achieve their joint ambition of creating perfect chain collaboration.

‘Asian Jewels’ is a new range of tasty melons that Rijk Zwaan has specifically selected for the Asian market. The vegetable breeding company is launching the new high-quality melon types at Asia Fruit Logistica. Asian Jewels is not the only innovation Rijk Zwaan will be presenting at the event; a new snack brand for the growing market for healthy snacks will be introduced.

On 26 and 27 July, Rijk Zwaan is present at PMA Foodservice in Monterey, California. This fair focuses on the food service and convenience market specifically and offers great possibilities for Rijk Zwaan to present varieties which are particularly suitable for this market.

Nowadays, every fast-food chain and company canteen has a choice of salads on the menu, often with tempting names such as Veggie Delight, Thai Chicken Salad or Crunchy Caesar Salad. One indispensable ingredient is cos lettuce or iceberg lettuce. A unique innovation that ensures fresh-cut lettuce stays fresh for longer has recently opened up new opportunities for the foodservice market.

Smaller households have a need for smaller vegetables as a means of reducing food wastage. The demand for organic and unpackaged vegetables is growing in this respect. These are the findings of a study conducted by vegetable and fruit distributor The Greenery and vegetable breeding company Rijk Zwaan.

With effect from 01 July 2019 the International Bremia Evaluation Board Europe (IBEB-EU) has named a new official race of downy mildew in lettuce, Bl:36EU.