In addition to yellow kiwis, mice have also been brought from New Zealand, as it became apparent when the first shipment of fruit of the season arrived at the port of Zeebrugge. “It is the first time in twenty years that we have experienced this,” says COO Jason Te Brake.
If you can’t find the yellow kiwis you need for your sangria at the supermarket this weekend, just know that mice are to blame. The first ship of the season, which arrived in Zeebrugge last week, contained “clear traces” of vermin. That is a blow to Zespri, one of the largest kiwi producers. After the 2023 crop failure, Zespri was able to produce a record harvest this year, but now the entire ship has to be quarantined, says Nele Moorthamers of Zespri. She emphasizes that this is an isolated incident. It is still too early to say how many of the 4,800 pellets are affected.
The kiwi giant firmly says that this is the first time it has had to deal with mice on its ships. “We have guaranteed the highest quality for twenty years. We are working with our shipping partner and insurers to determine the cause and prevent this from happening again,” says COO Jason Te Brake.
“The consumer will not notice anything,” promises Moorthamers. “Because we don’t make any concessions on taste and quality. We will not sell any pallet that has come into contact with pests. We work together with the FASFC to handle everything properly.”
Italian kiwis
Due to the disruptions, Zespri’s European kiwi season is now starting a week later. The second charter ship will arrive in Zeebrugge on Saturday. “We are working with our distribution partners to start the European sales season as quickly as possible so that we can meet the strong consumer demand,” says Te Brake.
We should not fear a kiwi shortage, because even though the largest share (about 85 percent) comes from New Zealand, “we grow about 25 percent in Europe, especially Italy,” says Moorthamers. And so the impact in the supermarket remains limited.
“We currently have green kiwis in the store, which are grown in Europe,” says Eva Biltereyst, spokesperson for Colruyt. “Anyone who wants the sweeter, yellow kiwis will have to wait another week. The yellow kiwi season ends at a certain point, and only a small portion of consumers switch to the green kiwi. That really is almost a different fruit.”
