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.
More consumers surveyed in The Packer’s Fresh Trends 2024 reported purchasing carrots in the past 12 months, at 60.9%, compared to 50% in the 2023 survey and 51% in 2022.
Retail per capita availability of carrots decreased from 8.93 pounds in 2000 to 7.48 pounds in 2020.
Almost 68% of consumers surveyed in Fresh Trends 2024 said they are buying a larger variety of fresh produce today than they were 20 years ago. When asked which produce items they purchase now that they previously did not buy, 15% included carrots in their response.
A greater percentage of higher-income consumers reported fresh carrot purchases, with 71.6% for consumers making more than $100,000 annually compared to 42.5% of consumers making less than $25,000 a year.
Older age groups tend to be more frequent buyers of carrots, with 70.7% of those aged 60 and older and 66.7% of those aged 50-59 reporting purchases, compared with 46.9% of those aged 18-29.
Fresh Trends 2024 data found more shoppers in the Northeast reported carrot purchases at 65%, while 54.5% of shoppers in the South did so.
Circana retail data shows that retail fresh carrots sales for the 52-week period ending Jan. 28, 2024, were $1.4 billion, an increase of 4.8% compared to the previous year. Volume sales were rated at 980 million, up 0.4% compared with the previous year.
The price per pound for fresh carrots was $1.45 for the 52 weeks ending Jan. 28, up 4.4% compared with the previous year.
The scan data shows that fresh carrots sales increased compared to the previous year, both in terms of dollar sales and volume sales, for the total category. Conventional dollar sales increased while volume sales decreased, and organic dollar sales and volume sales increased.
Average shipping-point price for carrots during 2023 was $21.40 per carton, up from $20.08 per carton in 2022.
Fresh Trends 2024 data for cabbage
Reported purchase based on household income*
- Less than $25K — 43%
- $25K<$50K — 58%
- $50K<$100K — 62%
- $100K+ — 72%
*Annual household income
Reported purchase based on dependent children
- Have kids — 58%
- 1 kid — 52%
- 2 kids — 62%
- 3 or more kids — 66%
- No kids — 63%
Reported purchase based on region
- Midwest — 64%
- Northeast — 65%
- South — 54%
- West — 64%
Reported purchase based on age*
- 18-29 — 47%
- 30-39 — 59%
- 40-49 — 63%
- 50-59 — 67%
- 60+ — 71%
*Considering primary household buyers
Reported purchase based on ethnicity
- Asian — 59%
- Black/African American — 45%
- Hispanic — 60%
- Other — 41%
- White/Caucasian — 66%