Warmer weather brought shoppers into stores to purchase long-awaited favorites. New crop corn and sweet onions were popular options for grilling, along with colored bell peppers and eggplant. Burger fixings like tomatoes and Iceberg lettuce were well advertised. Mangos, cantaloupes, strawberries, pineapples, and grapes were plentiful for fruit salads or refreshing beverages. Graduation and Mother's Day promotions were seen in many flyers.
Total ad numbers this week were 294,443, a 1% increase from last week's total of 292,048. The total for the same week last year was 14% lower at 258,500. The total number of ads broken out by commodity groups: fruit 149,386 (51% of all ads), onions and potatoes 24,364 (8%), vegetables 112,000 (38%), and herbs 2,060. The number of ads for organic produce was 37,670, 13% 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 red seedless grapes at 16% and tangerines (3 lb. bag) at 12%. Significant decreases included only Honeycrisp apples (per lb.) at 13%. There were no significant changes for potatoes and onions this week. Significant increases in price for vegetables this week included long seedless cucumbers at 41% and grape tomatoes (1 pint) at 19%. Significant decreases included only iceberg lettuce at 24%.
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Source: mymarketnews.ams.usda.gov