This week retailers filled stores with fruits, flowers, candy, and bakery items that were almost as sweet as mom. New crop California cherries, strawberries, mangos, blueberries, Navel oranges, and pineapples provided inspiration for Mother's Day brunch or breakfast in bed. For those firing up the grill this weekend, asparagus, zucchini, yellow squash, colored bell peppers, and corn were highly featured. Roses, tulips, and floral arrangements were showcased in abundance. Graduation season is beginning, and many stores featured gift ideas and party supplies.
Total ad numbers this week were 251,348, about the same as last week's total of 252,964. The total for the same week last year was 11% higher than for this year. The total number of ads broken out by commodity groups: fruit 116,835 (46% of all ads), onions and potatoes 25,608 (10%), vegetables 97,530 (39%), herbs 601, ornamentals 8,532 (3%), and hemp 2,242. The number of ads for organic produce was 33,923, 13% 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 blackberries at 13%. Significant decreases included only avocados at 28%. Significant increases price of onions
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Source: mymarketnews.ams.usda.gov