PLUs
4024 bartlett, small
4409 bartlett, large
4410 bartlett, red
4411 bosc, small, East
4026 bosc, large, West
4412 bosc, large, East
4413 bosc, large, West
4414 comice
4415 comice, red
4025 anjou, small
4416 anjou, large
4417 anjou, red
4421 Packham
4422 seckel
4423 tree-ripened
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
- All varieties of pears are a great addition to a healthy diet. They are an excellent source of fiber, which can reduce the risk of diabetic heart disease. One medium-sized pear provides 10% of the daily value of the antioxidant vitamin C. Eating pears can help reduce a person’s cancer risk. The phytonutrients in pears have been shown to reduce inflammation.
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the following nutrient content descriptors for pears: low-fat, saturated fat-free, sodium-free, cholesterol-free, an excellent source of fiber and a good source of vitamin C.
Sales Strategies
- Pears make a great cross-merchandising partner with items like pastry shells, baking goods, cheese, yogurt and bagged salad.
- Pears are available mostly year-round. Market them throughout the changing seasons.
- Fall: Fall is a peak time for pears, so include pears along with apples in back-to-school promotions as pears are a great snack.
- Winter: Pears make a great addition to desserts so market them with holiday baking supplies to encourage consumers to add them to their holiday dessert table.
- Spring: Pears add flavor and texture to springtime salads. They can also be a tasty addition to Easter and Mother’s Day brunches.
- Summer: Pears are a nutritious snack that travel well. Market them to on-the-go families during the summer months.
- Use sampling to give consumers a taste of lesser-known pear varieties.
Dynamic Displays
- Pear varieties are plentiful, so be sure to offer plenty of options to your consumers. Bartletts are usually the most popular, but include anjous, boscs, comices, seckels and concordes to provide different flavor options.
- Like other soft fruit, pears bruise easily. Don’t stack more than two layers high and gently place pears on the display.
- Pear purchases can be impulse buys, so use waterfall displays and endcaps to get pears in front of the consumer.
- Place pears next to apples or near summer fruit like peaches and nectarines.
- Include breaking pears in your display. Breaking pears are treated with ethylene to make the color change. Stores displaying those breaking pears had 18% greater sales volume than those selling non-treated bartletts, according to the California Pear Advisory Board.
Food Service
- Pears are a versatile fruit that can make an impact on dishes from appetizer to dessert.
- Add pears to stuffing for a fruity flavor.
- Use sliced pears as a garnish to add color and shape to your plate presentation.
- Include pears on cheese plates and as a pairing for wine.
- Use bosc pears in cooked dishes as they are most likely to retain their shape when cooked.
- Bartlett pears are best for jams and jellies.
In the Backroom
Shipping
44-lb. 4⁄5-bushel boxes/cartons (Northwest, Chile) 40-lb. boxes/cartons 36-lb. cartons 28-lb. cartons 23-lb. 1⁄2 cartons/lugs (California, Northwest) 14-lb. cartons RPC -- 6416, 6419, 6420, 6423, 6425, 6426 Foodservice packs 4-, 5- and 6-lb. boxes 24-lb. half box 45-lb. bushel box
Grades
Summer, fall and winter pears U.S. No. 1 U.S. Combination U.S. No. 2 Washington and Oregon Extra Fancy
Handling
Temperature: 32 F (0 C); to ripen, 60 to 70 F (15.6 to 21 C ) (When ripening, avoid too much heat; temperatures above 80 F (26.7 C) can cause damage to flavor and appearance.) Relative humidity: 90-95% Mist: no Typical shelf life: 60 to 90 days Ethylene producer (Do not store or transport ethylene-sensitive items with commodities that produce ethylene.) Odor-sensitive (Do not store or transport odor-sensitive items with commodities that produce odors.) Odor-producer (Pears produce odors that will be absorbed by cabbage, carrots, celery, onions and potatoes.) Moderately sensitive to freezing injury. (Likely to suffer injury by one light freezing.) The best flavor and texture develop when pears are ripened off the tree. They are picked unripe, but mature. Fruit allowed to ripen on the tree develops a coarse, woody or gritty texture. Russeting is a common characteristic among some of the best-flavored pears. Scars or other minor skin blemishes usually do not affect eating quality. Bartletts will turn yellow and give off an aroma when ripe. Winter pears do not change color, and ripeness can be tested with a thumb. Retailers can set up pallet ripening programs in their back rooms. Cover pallets of green pears with canvas, which holds in heat and gas without causing the produce to sweat and deteriorate.
Equivalents
1 lb. = two large or three medium-sized pears 1 lb. = 2½ cups sliced 1 lb. = 21⁄3 cups diced 1 lb. = 1¾ cups pureed
