From miniature to pie varieties to jumbo sized jack o' lanterns, pumpkins of all sizes decorated stores and ad flyers this week. Seventeen varieties of apples were reported this week, perfect for baking, bobbing or covering with caramel. Other fruits such as grapes, pears, persimmons, pomegranates, and cranberries provided an autumn flavor to ads. Not to be outdone, vegetables like acorn and butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, and sweet potatoes round out the harvest season offerings.
Total ad numbers this week were 302,453, a 1% increase from last week's total of 299,454. The total for the same week last year was 11% lower than for this year. The total number of ads broken out by commodity groups: fruit 144,218 (48% of all ads), onions and potatoes 29,906 (10%), vegetables 123,759 (41%), herbs 881, ornamentals 2,274, and hemp 2,296. The number of ads for organic produce was 33,672, 11% of total ads.
The following are the prices of major advertised items (3,000 plus ads) this week, compared to the same week last year. Significant increases in price for fruit this week included seedless grapes (red at 46%, white at 27%) and apple juice (64 oz.) at 13%. Significant decreases in price for fruit included apples (Granny Smith at 27%, Gala at 22% both per lb.), tangerines (3 lb. bag) at 19%, avocados at 14%, Gala apples (3 lb. bag) at 12%, and Bosc pears at 10%. Significant increases in price for potatoes and onions this week included only Russet potatoes (5 lb. bag) at 14%.
Significant decreases included only yellow potatoes (5 lb. bag) at 25%. There were no significant increases in price for vegetables this week. Significant decreases included on-the-vine tomatoes at 21%, baby carrots (1 lb. bag) at 19%, and bagged salad (10-12 oz.) at 17%.
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Source: mymarketnews.ams.usda.gov