With more districts opening classroom doors this week, US stores were offering deals on an abundance of items to get students off to a good start. Packable produce favourites like grapes, baby carrots, kiwifruit, apples, tangerines, and grape tomatoes, were at the ready for lunch boxes and after-school snacks. Breakfast favourites like apple juice, strawberries, and blueberries were well-advertised. Many retailers dedicated ad space to school supplies. Local and regional produce was touted across the country.
Total ad numbers this week were 285,699, a 3% decrease from last week's total of 294,605. The total for the same week last year was 2% lower at 279,351. The total number of ads broken out by commodity groups: fruit 166,223 (58% of all ads), onions and potatoes 14,074 (5%), vegetables 100,738 (35%), herbs 356, ornamentals 807. The number of ads for organic produce was 40,257, 14% 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 only blueberries (18 oz.) at 11%. Significant decreases included avocados at 14%, yellow peaches at 13%, and tangerines (3 lb. bag) at 13%. There were no significant changes in price for potatoes and onions this week. There were no significant increases nor decreases in price for vegetables this week.
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Source: mymarketnews.ams.usda.gov