This week retailers offered specials to combat rising temperatures and rising prices. Refreshing summer fruit like peaches, nectarines, cantaloupe, watermelons, grapes, strawberries, and cherries were highly featured. Meal ideas using cool, crisp vegetables like cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and packaged salads offered shoppers a respite from cooking over a hot stove. Gladiolas brightened up floral departments. The very first back-to-school supplies appeared in some flyers.
Total ad numbers this week were 314,451, a 3% decrease from last week's 324,084. The total for the same week last year was 9% higher than for this year. The total number of ads by commodity groups: fruit 183,551 (58% of all ads), onions and potatoes 12,222 (4%), vegetables 116,256 (37%), herbs 1,079, ornamentals 822, and hemp 521. The number of ads for organic produce was 44,423, 14% 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 red cherries at 52%, mini watermelons at 42%, nectarines (white at 27%, yellow at 23%), yellow peaches and plums at 24%, seedless watermelons at 24%, apple juice at 22%, blueberries (1 pint) at 21%, avocados at 20%, and mangos at 16%. The sole significant decrease was for strawberries (1 lb) at 21%. There were no significant increases or decreases in price for onions and potatoes this week. Significant increases in price for vegetables this week included on-the-vine tomatoes at 33%, packaged salads (5-9 oz at 24%, 10-12 oz at 15%), yellow squash at 20%, zucchini at 17%, corn at 11%, and cucumbers at 10%. The only significant decrease was for Roma tomatoes at 15%.
Click here to read the full report.
Source: mymarketnews.ams.usda.gov