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 38% of consumers indicated they purchased fresh pineapple last year. That result is up slightly from 36% of consumers who indicated pineapple purchases in both Fresh Trends 2022 and 2021 surveys.
Higher income appeared related to slightly greater fresh pineapple purchases, with 44% of consumers who earned more than $100,000 a year reporting pineapple purchases. That compares with 35% of consumers earning under $25,000 annually who reported pineapple purchases.
The USDA reports that fresh pineapple consumption has been rising in recent years, with retail per capita availability climbing from 6.1 pounds in 2011 to 7.3 pounds in 2019, a gain of 20%.
Consumers and retailers faced higher pineapple prices in 2022. The average fob price for pineapples in 2022 was $10.19 per carton, up 10% from $9.29 per carton in 2021, according to the USDA.
The average advertised retail price for fresh pineapple in 2022 was $1.25 per unit, up 16% from $1.08 per carton in 2021. The number of grocery stores promoting pineapple in 2022 totaled 489,582 in 2022, down 9% from 527,256 in 2021.
Fresh Trends 2023 showed that fresh pineapple purchases were more common among younger consumers. Just 31% of consumers aged 60 and older reported pineapple purchases, compared with 43% of those from 18-29 years old and 46% of consumers aged 30-39.