The pandemic had a profound impact on the way in which consumers shop for food — including fresh produce. And now, despite shoppers returning to in-store purchasing, dining in restaurants and other pre-COVID-19 habits, some pandemic effects continue to linger. Specifically, rising inflation and food costs related to the pandemic are now influencing consumer purchasing habits in new ways.
To explore how shopping patterns have changed and which fruits and vegetables are in greatest demand, The Packer presents its annual Fresh Trends 2022 report. Based on a survey of more than 1,000 consumers conducted last fall, the report shines a light on the latest consumer buying trends in fresh.
Read the entire 2022 Fresh Trends digital edition here.
With regard to inflated food prices over the past 18 months, consumers reported employing a number of money-saving strategies, such as cutting back on other areas of their budget to continue purchasing the same amount and types of food (43%) or simply buying less (30%).
Take a look at The Packer's 2022 top 20 fruits and vegetables:
And while other habits formed during the pandemic — such as online ordering, curbside pickup and home delivery for groceries and fresh items — are clearly here to stay, the survey found that these behaviors have lessened since 2021. Of those who said they had discontinued using online shopping, most (47%) cited their desire to be able to touch and smell produce themselves as the reason for going back to in-person shopping.
The pandemic also influenced some consumer purchasing decisions around packaged produce. While last year's Fresh Trends report found that over the course of 2020, 79% of respondents said they bought packaged produce, in Fresh Trends 2022, that number ticked up to 82%. The majority of survey respondents (59%) indicated that they plan to buy more packaged fresh produce over the next 12 months.
When it comes to the most popular fruit and vegetable, Fresh Trends 2022 finds that bananas — affordable and available to all — remains the No. 1 fruit purchase, with 63% of respondents indicating they purchased the fruit in the last 12 months. For vegetables, that mainstay protein sidekick and crowd pleaser — potatoes — ranked first among respondents, with 62% reporting having purchased the vegetable in the last 12 months.