Ad numbers got a boost this week, courtesy of St. Patrick's Day. Cabbage (the most-advertised vegetable this week), onions, potatoes, and carrots were featured in colorful images of corned beef dinners in almost every flyer. Lucky shoppers were able to save on berries, citrus, cantaloupes, asparagus, packaged salads, and bell peppers this week. Retailers continued to focus on Easter and Lent, with sales on lemons, limes, and pineapples. Many store chains maintained postings about supply chain issues and longer wait times, and asked for patience from patrons.
Total ad numbers this week were 302,633, a 7% increase from last week's 281,850. The total for the same week last year was 4% higher than for this year. The total number of ads broken out by commodity groups: fruit 139,896 (46% of all ads), onions and potatoes 36,043 (12%), vegetables 121,852 (40%), herbs 722, ornamentals 3,034, and hemp 1,086. The number of ads for organic produce was 40,318, 13% of total ads.
The following are the prices of major advertised items (3,000 plus stores) this week, compared to the same week last year. Significant increases in price for fruit this week included avocados at 45%, apple juice at 20%, mangoes at 15%, blackberries at 14%, raspberries at 12%, and strawberries at 11%. There were no significant decreases.
Click here to view the full report.
Source: mymarketnews.ams.usda.gov
