Apples, citrus, grapes, pineapples and blueberries continued to lead fruit ads

Retailers went all out this week to ensure shoppers had a wide selection of fresh produce to choose from for their holiday meal preparation, along with prime cuts of meat, specialty bakery items, seasonal floral decorations, and everything else needed to celebrate the season.

Apples, citrus, grapes, pineapples and blueberries continued to lead fruit advertisements,
while sweet potatoes and squash topped vegetable lists along with celery, Bell peppers, beans, carrots, asparagus and broccoli. The color red dominated floral ads as poinsettias were heavily featured in the last full week of ads ahead of their time to shine on holiday tables.

Total ad numbers this week were 297,884, a 1% increase from last week's total of 294,377. The total for the same week last year was 8% lower at 276,107. The total number of ads broken out by commodity groups: fruit 156,830 (53% of all ads), onions and potatoes 30,374 (10%), vegetables 97,928 (33%), herbs 1030, ornamentals 8146 (3%), and hemp 2136.
The number of ads for organic produce was 24,602, 8% 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 pineapples at 32%, navel oranges (each) at 17%, and tangerines (3 lb. bag) at 15%. Significant decreases included red seedless grapes at 21%, navel oranges (4 lb. bag) at 16%, Bartlett pears at 12% and navel oranges (per lb) at 10%. There were no significant increases in price for potatoes and onions this
week. Significant decreases included yellow onions (3 lb. bag) at 10%. There were no significant changes in price.

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