Sales of fresh produce in the US held steady in value terms during the first quarter of 2012, while volume increased slightly compared with last year as a result of a 1.3 per cent decline in average retail prices.
During the three-month period, prices for fruit categories remained stable while the majority of prices for vegetable products decreased against the year-earlier period.
The results were published in the latest edition of FreshFacts on Retail, the quarterly retail research report from the United Fresh Foundation, which is produced in partnership with the Nielsen Perishables Group and sponsored by Del Monte Fresh Produce.
Fruits were the strong drivers behind the sales gains, United Fresh said, with an average retail price increase of 1.5 per cent that increased sales by 3 per cent and volume 1.4 per cent.
The report noted that consumers have become less price-focused in certain categories while others still rely on promotions to attract shoppers and boost sales.
Organic and value-added fruit and vegetable products also fared well regardless of the variable prices, with shoppers continuing to pay a premium for the products.
Highlights of the report include:
• Four of the top ten fruits and three of the top ten vegetables posted sales that exceeded the year-earlier period. Berries and avocados were the primary drivers of both sales and volume growth in the fruit category, and mushrooms were the only vegetable in the category to post dollar and volume growth.
• Value-added fruits continued their upward growth in sales during the first quarter, up 4.7 per cent from a year ago, with fresh-cut fruit ranking as the top performer.
• Value-added vegetables saw larger gains in weekly sales and volume movement than value-added fruits. This upward movement was unaffected by the average retail price, since prices for the four value-added vegetable sub-categories slightly decreased or remained steady compared with the first quarter of 2011.
• Organic produce posted double-digit growth in dollar and volume sales during the first three months, despite an average 80 per cent price premium over conventional produce retail prices. Weekly sales per store of organic fruits rose 28.6 per cent and organic vegetables were up by 11 per cent in comparison to the first quarter of last year.
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