Peppers, Chili

Commodity Overview

Chili peppers come in a variety of heat levels and flavors, and more and more shoppers are including them in their meals. Education is key to moving chili peppers off the shelves, so make sure you have plenty of information available about each variety to encourage shoppers to try something new.

PLUs

4677 Anaheim
4678 banana
4685 dried
4686 green
4772 yellow
4687 cubanelle
3125 habanero
4690 hot (Hungarian hot)
4691 hot mixed
4692 Hungarian wax
4693 jalapeno
4694 jalapeno, red
4695 Japanese, red
4696 long hot, green
4697 long hot, red
4698 morita chili
4699 negro
4700 New Mexico
4701 pasilla, green
4702 pasilla, red
4703 pasilla pod
4704 pinole
4705 poblano
4706 red cheese
4707 red finger
4708 red pimiento
4709 Serrano
3413 tobasco

Varieties

Anaheim Peppers

Banana Wax Peppers

Cubanelle Peppers

Fresno Chili Peppers

Habanero Peppers

Jalapeño Peppers

Pasilla Peppers

Poblano Peppers

Serrano Peppers

Cherry Bell Peppers

Manzano Peppers

Scotch Bonnet Peppers

Thai Chili Peppers

Hatch Chili Peppers

Ghost Peppers

Hungarian Wax Chili Peppers

Retail Price Data is based on USDA Specialty Crops Market News surveys. Data collection ends on the report date and encompasses ad pricing good from the Saturday before the report release date through the following Friday. Weekly data - from over 400 retailers, comprising more than 30,000 individual stores with online weekly advertised features - covers over 250 produce items. Registered (logged-in) users, can access weekly reports and additional market information.

USDA Specialty Crops Market News publishes FOB and Movement data on a daily and weekly basis. Pricing and volume information is aggregated by commodity and published weekly, subject to any source-data adjustments. Commodity data is further processed based on origin (domestic vs imports) and type (regular vs. organic). Registered (logged-in) users, can access weekly reports and additional market information.

Facts

Chili peppers’ unique health benefits have been a driving factor behind their increasing popularity. Capsaicin found in chili peppers has anti-inflammatory properties and can help prevent sinus infections. Capsaicin has also been shown to improve heart health and help to increase the body’s metabolism. Chili peppers contain vitamin A, which helps protect eye and skin health. Vitamin C is found in chili peppers, which makes them a good way to boost the immune system. Chili peppers have been shown to help prevent prostate cancer.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the following nutrient content descriptors for chili peppers: fat-free, saturated fat-free, very low-sodium, cholesterol-free, low in calories, high in vitamin A and high in vitamin C.

Sales Strategies

Chili peppers work well with many other products, so cross-merchandise them with salsa ingredients, stir-fry vegetables, taco ingredients and soy sauce.
Chili peppers are available year-round, so be sure to promote them frequently.
Fall: Include chili peppers in football game-day promotions as an ingredient in salsa.
Winter: Promote chili peppers as a way to spice up hearty winter pasta dishes and soups. Include chili peppers in Super Bowl promotions for salsa and guacamole.
Spring: Promote chili peppers as part of Cinco de Mayo promotions.
Summer: Include chili peppers in summer grilling promotions to encourage consumers to consider adding them to meat marinades.

Dynamic Displays

Offer a variety of chili peppers to meet the needs of your consumers. Chili peppers vary in flavor from mild to make tears run down your face hot, so be sure to clearly label each variety with its hotness level.
Offer both dried and fresh chili peppers, but display them separately. The handling requirements are so different that you can’t keep both looking good.
Offer packaged chili peppers in most displays. If you move a large number of chili peppers, consider offering bulk product.
Display chili peppers with bell peppers and tomatoes.

Food Service

Chili peppers can add flavor to appetizers and entrees. Consider adding them to everything from Mexican dishes to stir-fries to soups.
Chili peppers can be stuffed like bell peppers. Anaheim peppers are best for stuffing.
Use the right pepper for the job. Fresno peppers work well in salsas, stuffing and breads. They also are good pickling peppers. Habanero peppers are one of the hottest available peppers. Use them only when you want super hot food. Jalapeno peppers are the most familiar to consumers and the most versatile. If you want to make chili rellenos, seek out pasilla peppers.
Chili peppers can burn eyes and skin, so be careful when handling them. Wear gloves when handling peppers and rinse utensils. The chemical capsaicin gives a chili its heat, and is unevenly distributed, with the seeds hot, the walls and skin hotter, and the inner membrane hottest.
To cut down the heat of chili peppers, remove one or all of the ribs and seeds and soak for no longer than 30 seconds in cold water with a little salt or vinegar. Soaking longer will cause loss of flavor.

In the Backroom

Shipping
Jalapenos, yellow wax 1⁄2-bushel crates/cartons 5⁄9-bushel crates/cartons 40-lb. cartons, bulk 30-lb. cartons, bulk 10-lb. cartons, bulk Other chilis 500-lb. bins 11⁄9-bushel crates/cartons 40-lb. cartons, bulk 30-lb. cartons, bulk 10-lb. cartons, bulk RPC -- 6409, 6411, 6413, 6416, 6419, 6423, 6425 Foodservice packs 20-lb. cases, bulk 10-lb. cases, bulk

Handling
Temperature: fresh chili peppers, 38 to 44 F (3.3 to 6.7 C); dried chili peppers, room temperature Relative humidity: 60-70% Mist: no Typical shelf life: fresh chili peppers 14 to 21 days; dried chili peppers, up to two years Avoid well-ventilated areas, which can shrivel chili peppers. For fresh chili peppers, encourage consumers to wrap product in plastic and store in the vegetable bin of the refrigerator.