Retailers were ready to capture shoppers hearts with excellent deals on Valentines Day favorites. Strawberries abounded, both long and short stem.
Grapes, Honeycrisp apples, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, peaches, mangos, tangerines, and nectarines enticed customers pick up healthy, sweet treats. For those swooning for heartier fare, onions, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, asparagus, cauliflower, and mushrooms were on hand for meals made with love.
Total ad numbers this week were 340,194, a 3% increase from last weeks 329,359. The total number of ads broken out by commodity groups: fruit 184,855 (54% of all ads), onions and potatoes 35,174 (10%), vegetables 107,940 (32%), herbs 1,009 and ornamentals 11,216 (3%).
The number of ads for organic produce was 41,744, 12% 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 blackberries at 27%, Navel oranges at 25%, red seedless grapes at 18%, tangerines at 17%, and D'anjou pears at 11%.
Significant decreases included blueberries (1 pt at 17% and organic 6 oz at 10%), and apple juice at 12%. Significant increases for onions and potatoes included 2lb red onions at 12% and 3lb yellow onions at 10%. There were no significant decreases. Significant increases for vegetables this week included celery at 18%, salad at 14%, and orange bell peppers at 10%. Significant decreases for vegetables included only asparagus at 10%.
Significant decreases included only green beans at 13%.
