Consumer Purchases Increase for Berries, Apples, Grapes

Consumer Purchases Increase for Berries, Apples, Grapes

While tomato sales dropped sharply, the 2012 report card on retail fresh produce performance showed

There were big gains for berries, apples, grapes and value-added fruit from consumer purchased last year compared with 2011.  However, tomato purchase dropped sharply, according to a report by the Nielsen Perishables Group.  Overall produce purchases for 2012 were up 4.4 percent  compared to the previous year.  The average price for all produce items rose an average of one percent.

Nielsen statistics show that the top 10 produce categories — berries, packaged salad, apples, bananas, grapes, potatoes, tomatoes, citrus, value-added fruit and cooking vegetables — account for about 57 purchases of produce purchases in the USA.

Nine of those 10 categories showed volume growth in 2012.

The only three categories showing decline in volume was potatoes along with tomatoes and cooking vegetables, with year-over-year declines in overall purchases compared with 2011.

Conusmers buying tomatoes for 2012 fell 7.2 percent, pulled lower by a 8.9 percent drop in average prices despite a 2 percent increase in volume.

Potato purchases slipped 4 percent with volume off  .4 percent despite a 3.6 percent drop in average potato prices.

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Berries led volume growth in 2012, recording 10.5 percent gain in volume and a 2.1 percent increase in average prices helping contribute to a 12.8 percent increase in sales.

Berries continue to steal the spotlight for the fresh produce department with their strong performance, the report notes. Among the top 20 produce categories, berries were second in the number of new items added within the category in 2012.

Consumers now have more choices in berry package sizes, whether it is with 4-ounce, 6-ounce, 8-ounce or bigger packs.

Apples also proved to be popular in 2012.   Even with a 7.3 percent increase in average prices, apple volume was able to increase 2.2 percent.  Overall apple purchases for the year rose 9.7 percent.  Even in the fourth quarter of 2012, despite short crops in Michigan and New York, overall apple shipments rose 1.2 percent.