The first week of the new year saw a large increase in ads for all commodity groups. Retailers prepared for shoppers and their New Year's resolutions by shoring up their offerings of healthy foods and supplements. Florida strawberries, Arizona spinach, and cherries from Chile were just some of the nutrient-packed options seen this week. Bowl games were also a major focus, with fruit and vegetable snack trays, guacamole-making ingredients, and drink accompaniments like lemons and limes well-advertised in flyers and store aisles.
Total ad numbers this week were 312,265, a 20% increase from last week's total of 261,274. The total for the same week last year was 22% lower than for this year. The total number of ads broken out by commodity groups: fruit 171,160 (55% of all ads), onions and potatoes 26,015 (8%), vegetables 106,875 (34%), and herbs 1,815. The number of ads for organic produce was 59,854, 19% 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 avocados at 17%, lemons (ea.) at 15%, and red cherries at 15%. Significant decreases for fruit included white seedless grapes at 14%, pears by the pound (Barlett and Bosc at 13%, D'Anjou at 11%), and Honeycrisp apples at 10%. There were no significant increases nor decreases in price for onions and potatoes this week. There were no significant increases for vegetables this week. Significant decreases included only green bell peppers (ea.) at 23%.
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Source: mymarketnews.ams.usda.gov