Editor's note: The following report is from The Packer’s Fresh Trends 2024, which provides insight based on survey responses from consumers. Since 1983, The Packer has sponsored 41 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 percentage of consumers reporting cabbage purchases in the past 12 months rose again, according to data from The Packer’s Fresh Trends 2024. Of those surveyed, 37.3% reported buying cabbage in the past year, compared with 31% in the 2023 survey and 34% in 2022.
Retail per capita availability of cabbage decreased from 8.28 pounds in 2000 to 5.81 pounds in 2020.
With almost 7 in 10 consumers saying they buy a larger variety of fresh produce today than they did 20 years ago, 24.5% named cabbage as an item they now purchase after not having done so previously, according to Fresh Trends 2024.
Nearly 43.3% of consumer households making more than $100,000 annually reported fresh cabbage purchases compared to 27.1% of consumers making less than $25,000 a year.
Households with two or more children were most frequent buyers of cabbage, according to Fresh Trends 2024 data.
Thirty-eight percent of those aged 40-49 and 43.6% of those aged 50-59 reported buying cabbage, compared with 30.9% of shoppers aged 18-29.
Fresh Trends 2024 data found more shoppers in the South purchased cabbage at 37.6%, while 36.9% of consumers in the West reported such purchases.
Circana retail data shows that retail fresh cabbage sales for the 52-week period ending Jan. 28, 2024, were $492 million, an increase of 4.3% compared to the previous year. Volume sales were rated at $511 million, up 1.3% compared with the previous year.
The price per pound for fresh cabbage was 96 cents for the 52 weeks ending Jan. 28, up 2.9% compared with the previous year.
The scan data shows that fresh cabbage sales increased compared to the previous year, both in terms of dollar sales and volume sales, for the total category as well as the conventional and organic segments.
Average shipping-point price for cabbage during 2023 was $16.85 per carton, an increase from $16.56 per carton in 2022.
Fresh Trends 2024 data for cabbage
Reported purchase based on household income*
- Less than $25K — 27%
- $25K<$50K — 35%
- $50K<$100K — 39%
- $100K+ — 43%
*Annual household income
Reported purchase based on dependent children
- Have kids — 38%
- 1 kid — 35%
- 2 kids — 39%
- 3 or more kids — 39%
- No kids — 37%
Reported purchase based on region
- Midwest — 37%
- Northeast — 37%
- South — 38%
- West — 37%
Reported purchase based on age*
- 18-29 — 31%
- 30-39 — 38%
- 40-49 — 38%
- 50-59 — 44%
- 60+ — 38%
*Considering primary household buyers
Reported purchase based on ethnicity
- Asian — 48%
- Black/African American — 46%
- Hispanic — 35%
- Other — 38%
- White/Caucasian — 35%