In the latest FreshFacts on Retail report from the United Fresh Produce Association BB #:145458, five of the Top 10 Fruits saw declines in volume in the second quarter, while romaine saw a bounce back in consumer confidence following consumer advisories late last year.
Apples, bananas, strawberries, avocados and oranges all saw drops in volume ranging from 1% for bananas to 8.2% for strawberries in the second quarter, which ended June 29. High prices pushed avocado dollars up 10.3% in the quarter, however.
Increasing supplies from the southern hemisphere boosted mandarin orange volumes nearly 24%, which dollars up 13.5%. Raspberries, too, saw a huge increase, up 14.4% in volume and 6.5% in dollars.
Those gains were nearly enough to offset decreases in fruit, with overall category dollars down just 0.6% and pounds down 0.5% in versus the second quarter of 2018.
Romaine lettuce sales increased 8% in the second quarter, which the report says suggests consumer concerns over recalls may have passed.
Fifty-nine percent of households said they bought packaged salads in the second quarter, the No. 1 vegetable item. Volume increased 4% in the quarter and dollars were up 5.2% compared to 2018.
Overall lettuce volume was down 0.6% and mushrooms volume was down 2%.
Celery continued its rise in popularity in the second quarter, with total celery volume sold increasing 6.4% and dollars up 7.1%. Brussels sprouts, too, saw big gains, up 18.5% in volume in Q2.
Organic produce sales increased across the board, with vegetables up 2.2% in volume and fruit up 3.1%.
Want more information? United Fresh members can download a complimentary copy of the report ($50 for non-members) by clicking here.
And for more analysis, the United Fresh Retail-Foodservice Board and Nielsen Fresh are hosting a live webinar Aug. 14 at 2 p.m. EST to discuss statistics, with time for Q&A, featuring Matt Lally, associate director of Nielsen Fresh, moderated by Jeff Cady of Tops Friendly Markets. Click here to register.
