It was an eventful week at grocery stores this week, with multiple produce promotional opportunities for retailers. Rosh Hashanah takes place next week, and stores were stocked with celebratory staples such as pomegranates, leeks, beets, carrots, honey, and apple and grape juices. Football season is in full swing, and tailgating favorites like fruit and vegetable snack trays, lemons, limes, baby carrots, and bell peppers were in the starting lineup. National Hispanic Heritage Month was recognized in several flyers, featuring sales of tomatillos, onions, Roma tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeno peppers, plantains, cactus pads, mangos, papayas, and sweet corn. Cranberries made their first appearance in flyers this week, joining the abundant displays of hard squashes, pumpkins, and apple cider to celebrate the official arrival of autumn.
Total ad numbers this week were 295,942, a 10% increase from last week's total of 269,521. The total for the same week last year was 2% lower at 288,813. The total number of ads broken out by commodity groups: fruit 141,883 (48% of all ads), onions and potatoes 25,686 (9%), vegetables 125,397 (42%), herbs 1,436, ornamentals 1,455, and hemp 1,521. The number of ads for organic produce was 42,945, 15% 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 pomegranates at 44% and organic seedless grapes (red at 18%, white at 10%). Significant decreases included conventional seedless grapes (red at 24%, white at 16%) and Honeycrisp apples at 17%. Significant changes in price for potatoes and onions this week included only an 11% decrease for Russet potatoes (5 lb.) Significant increases in price for vegetables this week included only pumpkins at 20%. Significant decreases included only organic zucchini at 15%.
For more information:
USDA
Agricultural Marketing Service Specialty Crops Market News Division
Tel: +1 (202) 720-2890
Email: [email protected]
www.ams.usda.gov