Grocers around the country continue to offer shoppers the finest seasonal bounty from both local growers and further afield. With the heat of summer fully upon us in most areas of the country, no-cook fruit offerings were abundant for snacking, while squash, Bell peppers, and other items for outdoor grilling also featured heavily in this week's ads. A few enterprising retailers have already begun running back-to-school ads featuring school supplies along with lunchtime favorites.
Total ad numbers this week were 300,728, a 6% increase from last week's total of 284,084. The total for the same week last year was 4% higher than for this year. The total number of ads broken out by commodity groups: fruit 180,727 (60% of all ads), onions and potatoes 16.338 (5%), vegetables 96,972 (32%), herbs 1,207, ornamentals 957, and hemp 4527. The number of ads for organic produce was 38,457, 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 strawberries at 17%, white and yellow peaches both at 14%, and plums at 10%. Significant decreases included red cherries at 34%, avocados at 23%, mini watermelons at 17%, 3 lb bags of tangerines at 14% and pint blueberries at 13%. There were no significant changes in price for onions and potatoes this week. Significant increases in price for vegetables this week included only cucumbers at 10%. Significant decreases included only tomatoes on the vine at 12%.
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Source: mymarketnews.ams.usda.gov