Editor's Note: The following report is from The Packer’s Fresh Trends 2023, which provides insight based on survey responses from consumers. Since 1983, The Packer has sponsored 40 major consumer studies to track trends in the purchases and consumption of fresh produce, documenting the fluctuation in purchases of specific fruits and vegetables as well as changing attitudes toward industry issues.
The Packer’s Fresh Trends 2023 found that 43% of all consumers reported purchases of bell peppers in the previous year. That is down slightly from 46% of consumers reporting purchases in Fresh Trends 2022 and 44% in Fresh Trends 2021.
Bell peppers have been growing in popularity over the last decade, according to USDA per capita numbers. Retail per capita availability has grown from 9.72 pounds in 2011 to 10.42 pounds in 2019, the USDA reports.
Retailers and consumers faced higher prices for bell peppers this year.
The average fob price for bell peppers in 2022 was $15.01 per carton, up 14% from $13.19 per carton in 2021, according to USDA. The average advertised retail price for bell peppers was 98 cents per unit in 2022, up 8% from 91 cents per unit in 2021.
The number of grocery stores promoting bell peppers in 2022 total 1.52 million, down 4% from 1.58 million stores in 2021.
While there was not much variation in bell pepper purchases among consumers of different income levels, Fresh Trends 2023 data does show that older consumers were more frequent purchasers of bell peppers than younger consumers. The survey found that 53% of consumers aged 60 and older said they purchased bell peppers, compared with 53% of consumers from 50-59 years old, 36% of shoppers from 40-49, 37% of the shoppers from 30-39 and just 31% for consumers 18-29.
Women were markedly more frequent buyers of bell peppers (46%) than men (40%), according to Fresh Trends 2023.
The survey also found that consumers with no kids at home were more likely to purchase bell peppers (47%) than shoppers with kids at home (37%).