This week, retailers celebrated the red, white, and blue with sales on seasonal favorites. Watermelons, cantaloupes, peaches, nectarines, plums, cherries, strawberries, Honeycrisp apples, and avocados were among the heavily advertised fruits, ideal for cooling off with refreshing summer produce. Vegetables were also popular, especially grill-friendly items that could be prepared outdoors to avoid hot kitchens. These included corn, bell peppers, eggplants, sweet onions, tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce. Many store flyers also featured patriotic-themed bakery, floral, and decorative items.
The total number of ads this week was 266,728, nearly unchanged from last week's total of 265,811. However, this figure was 12% lower than the same week last year, which saw 304,346 ads. Ads by commodity group included: fruit at 164,219 (62%), onions and potatoes at 16,602 (6%), vegetables at 83,891 (31%), herbs at 706, ornamentals at 108, and hemp at 1,908. Organic produce accounted for 33,811 ads, or 13% of the total.
Among heavily advertised items (3,000+ ads), several fruits saw significant year-on-year price increases: red seedless grapes were up 73%, white seedless grapes rose 57%, round mangoes increased 38%, plums, and yellow peaches each rose 13%, and 1 lb. strawberry packages were up 12%. There were no significant price decreases in fruit.
In the potatoes and onions category, the only notable change was a 12% increase in the price of yellow sweet onions (per lb.).
For vegetables, on-the-vine tomatoes saw an 18% increase in price. Meanwhile, long seedless cucumbers dropped by 28%, and sweet corn (each) decreased by 13%.
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