High Temps, Drought, Lack Of Workers Taking Toll On Produce In Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Every day trucks with fresh produce from California pull into Pittsburgh.

But there's a problem out there.

"You have high temperatures, lack of water," Jimmy Sunseri told KDKA money editor Jon Delano on Thursday.

Sunseri is one of the few produce wholesalers left in the Strip District, and he says the drought there hurts here.

"Since there is such a lack of water, there is wilting on the ground, and you have to realize that if it's wilting the quality is going out of it, the moisture is going out of it."

Eric Cottrell is a Latrobe trucker who hauls from California to Pittsburgh, who says it's also affecting the quantity of fresh produce.

KDKA reached him on the road.

"Instead of a full truck load, we'll see like a shortage on the truck, or the driver will have to wait a longer period of time to get a full truck," said Cottrell. "The produce is not of its normal color or texture."

Consumers notice it, too.

"I think things are a little dryer. They're not quite as juicy as they have been," noticed Lisa Campbell of Lawrenceville.

"The quality is less. Yeah, dryer, kind of like rotting," added John Pellegrini of Leechburg.

Produce clerk Regis McNeao of Highland Park says when poor quality produce gets to him, he tosses it.

McNeao: "You will go through things and some of the stuff is bad quality, it's not going to be on the shelves."

Delano: "We're not going to see it?"

McNeao: "No sir. No sir. Not at all."

It may not be just the superhot temperatures in California, the drought, lack of water, that's affecting the quality of this produce.

Some say it's the lack of illegal immigrants to harvest the product on time.

Sunseri says there are not enough workers to harvest.

"There are truckers that are driving right past fields that are full of product, and there's nobody to pick it," notes Sunseri.

"And the work force predominantly for the produce industry is the illegal immigrants."

For the consumer, says Sunseri, it adds up to this.

"For the short-term, we're going to pay higher prices."

Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter