This week, retailers offered shoppers some relief at the register with deals on seasonal favorites and kitchen staples. Ads for onions and potatoes increased this week, just in time for cold-weather meals. Brussels sprouts, broccoli, carrots, and winter squash were also popular. Persimmons made their first appearance in ads this week, joining cranberries, pomegranates, grapes, and new crop pears and apples in the fall fruit aisle. Pumpkins of all types were highly featured. Organic produce accounted for an impressive 18% of ads this week.
Total ad numbers this week were 267,827, a 2% decrease from last week's 272,011. The total for the same week last year was 15% higher than for this year. The total number of ads broken out by commodity groups: fruit 141,258 (53% of all ads), onions and potatoes 20,104 (8%), vegetables 100,897 (38% and herbs 997. The number of ads for organic produce was 48,957, 18% 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 Gala apples (per lb at 17%, organic 2 lb. bags at 21%), apple juice at 10%, and red seedless grapes at 10%. There were no significant decreases. The sole significant change in price for onions and potatoes this week was a 52% increase for yellow onions (3 lb).
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Source: mymarketnews.ams.usda.gov