Late October brought favorable retail promotions across the produce sector, with strong activity in fruit and vegetable categories. Retailers offered competitive prices on a wide range of fresh items, including mini bell peppers, baby carrots, grape tomatoes, avocados, and grapes.
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Total advertised items this week reached 298,197, down 2% from last week's 304,551. Compared to the same week last year, total ad volume was 1% lower than 301,737. The distribution of ads by commodity group was as follows: fruit 157,064 (53%), onions and potatoes 24,076 (8%), vegetables 106,049 (36%), herbs 1,156, ornamentals 4,192, hemp 5,288, and honey 1,528. Ads for organic produce totaled 48,772, representing 16% of all advertisements.
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The following are the prices of major advertised items (3,000+ ads) this week compared to the same week last year:
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Fruit prices showed notable movement, with Gala apples (per lb.) up 34% and Granny Smith apples (per lb.) up 11%. Declines were observed for large avocados (down 35%), seedless grapes (red down 14%, black down 11%), tangerines (3 lb. bag) down 13%, blackberries (5.6–6 oz.) down 12%, Bartlett pears (per lb.) down 11%, and avocados (overall) down 10%.
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Potatoes and onions saw no significant price changes this week.
Among vegetables, prices rose for baby carrots (1 lb. bag) by 18% and large pumpkins (each) by 12%. The only notable decrease was for Roma tomatoes, which were down 15% from the same week last year.
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For more information:
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