This week stores used promotions for the Super Bowl and Valentine's Day to entice shoppers. Specials on avocados, cilantro, limes, and tomatoes had football fans doing their own endzone dances. Party trays were well-advertised, as were carrots, celery, broccoli, lemons, cucumbers, and bell peppers. Store patrons felt the love as retailers offered deals on cherries, grapes, strawberries, mangos, blackberries, and peaches. Cara Cara Navels, blood oranges, and red grapefruits stole shoppers' hearts with their red hues and sunkissed flavors.
Total ad numbers this week were 266,288 a 6% decrease from last week's total of 282,110. The total for the same week last year was 4% higher than for this year. The total number of ads broken out by commodity groups: fruit 153,810 (58% of all ads), onions and potatoes 26,583 (10%), vegetables 80,350 (30%), herbs 1,992, ornamentals 1,948, and hemp 1,605. The number of ads for organic produce was 44,842, 17% 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 tangerines (3 lb. bag) at 28%, strawberries (1 lb.) at 16%, and blackberries at 12%. Significant decreases included blueberries (1 pt.) at 24%, avocados at 23%, mangos at 20%, organic blueberries (6 oz.) at 19%, seedless grapes (white at 18%, red at 11%), Navel oranges (ea.) at 10%, and red cherries at 10%. Significant changes in price this week for potatoes and onions included increases for potatoes (red at 15% and yellow at 14%). There were no significant decreases. Significant increases in price for vegetables this week included only packaged salad (5-9 oz.) at 14%. Significant decreases included only broccoli crowns at 11%.
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Source: mymarketnews.ams.usda.gov