Inside grocery stores, spring has arrived. Artichokes, asparagus, leeks, green beans, and strawberries were featured for lighter spring meals. Deals on cabbage, carrots, onions, and potatoes were abundant ahead of St. Patrick's Day. Lenten favorites such as lemons, limes, cactus pads, poblano chiles, mushrooms, and chayote continued to be popular. Cantaloupes, peaches, and nectarines were among the most-advertised summer fruits this week. Blood oranges, Cara Cara and Navel oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, and clementines were heavily advertised as the winter citrus season winds down.
Total ad numbers this week were 265,397, a 4% decrease from last week's total of 277,043. The total for the same week last year was 4% higher at 276,658. The total number of ads broken out by commodity groups: fruit 147,605 (56% of all ads), onions and potatoes 18,555 (7%), vegetables 96,015 (36%), herbs 1,053, ornamentals 556, and hemp 2,666. The number of ads for organic produce was 34,625, 13% of total ads.
The following are the prices of major advertised items (3,000 plus ads) this week, compared to the same week last year. Significant increases in price for fruit this week included seedless grapes (red at 33%, white at 25%), Navel oranges (3 lb. bag) at 30%, strawberries (1 lb.) at 13%, and organic tangerines (2 lb. bag) at 10%. Significant decreases for fruit included pineapples (each) at 21%, tangerines (3 lb. bag) at 21%, Honeycrisp apples (per lb.) at 13%, cantaloupes (each) at 12%, and avocados at 11%. There were no significant changes in price for potatoes and onions this week. Significant increases in price for vegetables this week included broccoli crowns at 12% and Roma tomatoes at 10%. Significant decreases included long seedless cucumbers at 28% and asparagus at 13%.
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Source: mymarketnews.ams.usda.gov