This close to Christmas, holiday shoppers were running around searching for last minute deals for their celebrations.
Retailers offered jolly good specials on all manner of seasonal favorites. Sweet potatoes, celery, asparagus, broccoli crowns, green beans, onions, and potatoes were among the most frequently advertised vegetables this week.
Pineapples, grapes, apples, tangerines, cherries, and berries were at the top of the list for fruit. Winter citrus was well featured this week with Navel and Cara Cara oranges, clementines, dekopons, tangerines, and grapefruit bringing in fresh, new crop flavor. Offshore stone fruit appeared in stores as the winter solstice occurred, signaling a gradual trend toward long days and summer favorites.
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Total ad numbers this week were 298,838, about steady from last week's total of 297,844. The total number of ads broken out by commodity groups: fruit 157,233 (53%), onions and potatoes 30,844 (10%), vegetables 98,162 (33%), herbs 992, ornamentals 8,045, hemp 2,084, and honey 2,470. The number of ads for organic produce was 24,899, 8% of total ads. There was no report issued for the same week in 2024, resulting in no year-over year comparisons to report for this week.
