Organic Oranges

Commodity Overview

Organic orange sales account for less than 4% of the category. Oranges are a popular item with many consumers, so including an organic option can add to your bottom line. Offer both bagged and bulk options on your displays.

PLUs

94384 small navel, East/Central (125 size and smaller)
94013 small navel, West (113 size and smaller)
94385 large navel, East/Central (100 size and larger)
93107 medium navel, West (72 to 88 size)
94012 large navel, West (56 size and larger)
94014 small valencia (100 size and smaller, Florida; 113 size and smaller, West)
93108 medium valencia, West (72 to 88 size)
94388 large valencia (80 size and larger, Florida; 56 size and larger, West)

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.

Sales Strategies

Organic green onions may not be a show stopper by themselves, but they pair well with other items. Include organic onions in salad promotions and cross-merchandise them with organic bagged salads.

Create a Cinco de Mayo promotion that includes organic green onions and other organic vegetables that are popular in salsa. Organic green onions can also be a popular addition to wintertime organic soup promotions as they add flavor and texture to soup.

Include organic green onions in summertime grilling promotions with organic meat as they are a popular topping for steak.

Dynamic Displays

Display organic oranges near conventional oranges as the price compares fairly well. The two types can share a table with the proper barriers or you can place conventional on one side of the aisle and organic on the other.

Offer both bagged and bulk options on your display. When displaying bulk organic oranges, feel free to stack them, but keep your stacks low to avoid an orange avalanche.

Especially in winter, place organic oranges front and center in your department. They are one of the few fruits that are in season, and their bright color draws eyes to a dynamic display. This encourages impulse buys.

In the Backroom

Shipping
Organic green onions are often sold banded or bagged and come in a variety of carton sizes similar to those of conventional green onions.

Grades
U.S. No. 1
U.S. No. 2

Handling
Temperature: 32 F, 0 C
Relative humidity: 95-100%
Mist: lightly
Typical shelf life: 7 to 10 days
Odor-producer (Do not store or transport odor-sensitive items with commodities that produce odors. Green onions produce odors that will be absorbed by corn, figs, grapes, mushrooms and rhubarb.)
Green onions are highly perishable.
Necks should be medium-sized and well-blanched for 2 to 3 inches above the root.