This week, winter citrus became more abundant, with new crop California clementines and Texas grapefruit adding sparkle to ad flyers. Hanukkah staples like grapes, honey, dates, apple sauce, grape and apple juices, potatoes, and carrots were on special at virtually every store. Apples in a multitude of varieties were advertised heavily for baking and Hannukah celebrations. Fresh and bagged nuts were popular for snacking and baking. Poinsettias, roses, and Christmas cactuses added holiday cheer in the floral department.
Total ad numbers this week were 282,630, a 2% increase from last week's total of 276,283. The total for the same week last year was 1% higher than for this year. The total number of ads broken out by commodity groups: fruit 155,161 (55% of all ads), onions and potatoes 28,062 (10%), vegetables 89,248 (32%), herbs 1,318, ornamentals 5,200, and hemp 4,959. The number of ads for organic produce was 40,638, 14% 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 seedless grapes (red at 22%, white at 15%) apple juice (64 oz.) at 15%, and pomegranates (ea.) at 12%. Significant decreases for fruit included apples per lb. (Fuji at 30%, Gala at 20%, Honeycrisp at 11%), pineapples at 16%, and avocados at 11%. There were no significant increases in price for potatoes and onions this week. Significant decreases included only yellow potatoes (5 lb.) at 21%. There were no significant changes in price for vegetables this week.
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Source: mymarketnews.ams.usda.gov