Healthy eating reflected in retailer prices for first week in January

In its National Retail Report for specialty crops, the USDA’s Agriculture Marketing Service said Chilean cherries, Florida strawberries and Texas grapefruit featured prominently in retailer ads for the first week of January, tapping into shoppers’ healthy eating resolutions.

AMS also noted that as college football’s bowl games began, ingredients for guacamole such as avocados and cilantro also remained popular with shoppers. Snack trays with baby carrots, berries, grapes and broccoli were also featured in retailer ads.

Retailers also promoted the winter citrus season, with cara cara oranges, blood oranges and pummelos.

Total ad numbers for the week ending Jan. 3 were down from a year ago at 289,415. Last year, for the same week, AMS said the total number of ads was 312,265, or 7% higher. The total number of ads broken out by commodity groups according to AMS includes: fruit 156,735 (54%), onions and potatoes 18,954 (7%), vegetables 110,526 (38%), herbs 1,728, ornamentals 922, and hemp 2,278. The number of ads for organic produce was 53,647, or 19% of total ads.

AMS said significant increases in price for fruit that week, compared to the same week last year, included avocados at 27%, navel oranges (per pound) at 25%, red seedless grapes at 18%, apple juice (64 ounces) at 17% and gala apples (per pound) at 12%.

Significant decreases included round mangoes at 29%, navel oranges (4-pound bag) at 14%, blueberries (1 pint) at 14%, red cherries at 12% and blackberries (5.6- to 6-ounce package) at 10%.

AMS said there were no significant changes in price for onions and potatoes that week and no significant changes in the price for vegetables.