Sales & wholesale: Invoice, order, shipping containers, dispatch, and documentation for fruit & vegetable packer / import / export
Choose from a selection of built in invoice templates, or modify to suit your needs. Invoices can be exported to avoid double entry.
Manage fresh produce orders from customers, orders are used during the order picking process to ensure accurate order fulfillment.
Manage shipping containers, digital and analog thermometers, and customize other shipping container information as required. Assign shipping containers to order and invoices in advance.
Use built in industry standard Bill Of Lading, Invoice, and other dispatch documentation, modify them, or design your own with the Document Designer tool.
Check each pallet from a list (or scan), to ensure exact order fulfillment.
Manage multiple price lists by customer x part x variety and feature. Automatic prices on new orders.
Featuring:
Optionally capture dispatch temperatures, times, and employee, for pallets, cool rooms, and trucks/shipping containers
Generate invoices for product that was packed in your packhouse, purchased from a third party, or packed on behalf of another company/customer
Print transport documentation, pick lists, government paperwork, export documentation, and organic certificates
Sell directly to Sales Orders, or;
Sell directly to an Invoice without needing a Sales Order
Sell produce on ‘consignment’ where no price has been agreed
Maintain price-lists for markets, specific customers, and specific products
Assign sales to sales persons
Bar-code pallet or inventory scanning to add product to an order
Mobile point of sale, manage inventory in trucks, mobile invoicing, in field orders from clients
Automatically email specific documents to selected customers during dispatch and shipping processes
Compare stock on hand with orders from customers
Manage shipping containers and all related details & documents
Use for all garlic packing processes
Insert photos of important shipments directly onto the invoice or dispatch for quality references
Purchase Orders include an approval process, and an email alerts process that alerts the author of approval status and alerts staff that need to approve purchase orders. Email orders to suppliers.
sales fresh produce wholesale xero
Sales solution for fresh produce
Invoices for fresh produce wholesale
Easily customized, choose from templates, modify them, or design your own invoice BOL and other documents (ask your consultant to do it for you for premium clients).
During the dispatch process, invoices & bill of lading can be automatically sent to your choice of customer, transport company, or even employee as required.
Fresh produce wholesale import / export
From customer orders, to customer price lists, generating invoices, documentation for export, organic certificates, shipping processes, and shipping container management - farmsoft has you covered for fresh produce packing, processing, wholesale, import and export.
sales wholesale fresh produce fruitbill of lading BOL fresh produce wholesale sales
Sales system fresh produce
Bill of lading for fresh produce
Fresh produce documentation such as pick lists, bill of lading, dispatch dockets, and transport notes have never been easier and are automatically presented when orders are ready to ship. You can specify which documents are preferred by which customer to ensure each customer receives the correct documentation.
When each order is shipped, automatically email the bill of lading to your choice of customer, transport provider, or internal team members.
Traceback & The Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI) to improve fresh produce traceability, recall, and audits.
Department of Financial & Management Engineering An important benefit of growing your growers from within is the opportunity to indoctrinate them into your company culture at the same time they're learning good plant culture. With both employee and employer loyalty seemingly hitting bottom barrel these days, internal training and promotion programs could be a great way to attract and keep valuable employees long-term in a competitive grower market. Keeping great employees, and paying them more as they progress, is always less costly than repeatedly hiring anew.
From January 1, 2006 traceability will cease to be an added-value element in the agricultural industry and will become obligatory because of the introduction of the new EU legislation,” explains Pedro de la Peña, the technical manager of E-FRUITRACE at Agromare in Spain. All of the actors involved in the agri-food sector therefore need comprehensive and compatible solutions to allow them to track produce.”
Since refining is a continuous process, a constant input of crude palm oil is required. As we have seen, the crude palm oil was supplied from different origins. So, when we speak about traceability in the palm oil supply chain, it means we can identify all the palm oil mills that could have been supplying the oil in your product. Knowing that most of the mill's supply base is located within a radius of 50 kilometres, traceability provides you with a list of potential mills of origin. Any verification of sustainable practices on the oil supplied by a certain mill, should happen in this area.
Sales of milk and dairy products to restaurants, schools and other institutions have declined rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving dairy farmers with excess milk
supplies.
Farmers are being asked to slow production, find alternative buyers and, in some cases, discard milk.
Farmers say the drop in demand comes at the "worst time," as warmer spring weather encourages cows to produce more.
**Fresh produce sales remain noticeably higher than the same time last year as the coronavirus crisis continues.
For the week ending April 5, dollar sales were 14.2% higher than the same week last year. The week of March 29, sales were up 8.1%.
Recent weeks mark some normalization of demand after produce sales saw jumps of 29.7% and 34.5% for two weeks in mid-March.
Joe Watson, vice president of membership and engagement for the Produce Marketing Association tells thepacker.com, the effect of canceled events, from March Madness to Easter celebrations, should also be taken into consideration.
https://www.thepacker.com/article/latest-numbers-show-gap-persists-between-produce-dollar-volume-sales?mkt/
**As one of the most consumed fresh vegetables, lettuce plays an important role in American diets, and researchers say increasing nutrients in lettuce could improve health without asking people to change their dietary habits.
At a Future of Lettuce Symposium, California scientists described progress in breeding lettuce higher in nutrients such as vitamin C, antioxidants and beta carotene, and lettuce that lasts longer after harvest.
Fresh vegetables continue to outperform fresh fruit sales
In the ninth week of coronavirus-related shopping, patterns continued to evolve. Between the typical Mother’s Day sales boost and shoppers flocking to the store once more to stock up on meat amid ongoing coverage of shortages, grocery sales had another good week, and produce along with it. Trip, spending and channel choices continued to be in flux and fresh e-commerce is here to stay. All these developments had significant impact on fresh produce sales. 210 Analytics, IRI and PMA partnered to understand the effect for produce in dollars and volume throughout the pandemic.
Fresh produce gains remained highly elevated the second week of May. Fresh produce growth for the week of May 10 versus the comparable week in 2019 increased 17.1% — virtually unchanged from the prior week. Fresh vegetables continued to easily outperform fruit, but both achieved double-digit increases. Meanwhile, consumer interest in all three temperature states for fruits and vegetables continued, with dollars split between fresh, frozen and shelf-stable. Frozen once more had the highest gains, up 39.2%, despite continued high out-of-stocks in the frozen food aisle.
Fresh produce increased 17.1% over the comparable week in 2019.
Frozen, +39.2%
Shelf-stable, +28.8%
Source: IRI, Total US, MULO, % growth vs. year ago week ending May 10, 2020
Fresh Produce
Compared with the same week in 2019, fresh produce generated an additional $209 million in sales during the week of May 10. Growth rates were in line with last week’s levels. Fresh vegetables, at +23.1%, continued to easily outperform fresh fruit and boasts double-digit increases for eight out of the last nine weeks.
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
Fresh versus frozen and shelf-stable
Percentage-wise, gains in fresh produce are bound to be lower than frozen and shelf-stable due to its share of total produce. “Slowly but surely fresh is getting back to the market share it had pre-pandemic,” said Watson. “When shoppers were in their stock-up mindset, the share of fresh to total fruit and vegetable sales across the store stood as low as 70%, but in the latest week fresh is back to 80% despite some deflationary pressure.” Both frozen and canned have upward pressure on prices since the onset of coronavirus in the U.S.
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
Dollars versus Volume
The volume/dollar gap narrowed slightly the week of May 10 to 3.4 percentage points, down from 3.7 points. However, this is much diminished from the week ending April 22, when the volume/dollar gap was 8.9 percentage points. “Produce is one of the few departments where volume is tracking ahead of dollars,” said Watson. “While week after week we are documenting deflationary pressure for many fruits and vegetables, the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) shows that food-at-home increased 2.6% over the month of March.
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
Both vegetables and fruit saw volume growth tracking ahead of dollars the week of May 10 versus the comparable week in 2019.
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
The top three growth items in terms of absolute dollar gains over the same week in 2019 were berries (+$26 million), potatoes (+$23 million) and lettuce and potatoes (+$22 million, each) and tomatoes (+$19 million). However, at the category level, big differences continued to exist between dollars and volume, driven by deflationary pressure. Within the top 10 growth items in absolute dollars, significant volume/dollar gaps remain for items, such as avocados, onions and melons.
“On the fruit side, we saw significant decreases in the price per volume versus the same week last year for items such as pineapples (17 percentage point decline), peaches (14 points), avocados (13 points) and melons (10 points),” said Watson. “For each, we see volume sales far exceed dollar sales, so the consumer demand is there, but the market conditions are putting pressure on price. But we are starting to see a few areas with price increases too, including tangerines, up +11% in price per volume versus year ago.”
On the vegetable side, there continued to be significant volume/dollar gaps in several areas. For instance, onions had a strong 25.1% boost in dollars, but volume sales were up 38.0%, with the retail price per volume down more than 12%. Others with high dollar/volume gaps were celery (30 percentage points), Brussels sprouts (27 points) and cauliflower (15 points). On the other hand, we saw some upward pressure as well for other items, particularly potatoes, with dollar sales still going strong, at +41.0%, and volume up 27.3%. Average price paid (dollars divided by volume) for potatoes was 10.8% higher versus the same week last year.
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
Fresh Fruit
“Fruit is hitting its stride here in the past few weeks,” said Parker. “While vegetables have seen a stronger performance during the pandemic, it is also fair to point out that vegetables had been outperforming fruit for a few years. The pandemic amplified that difference, but we see continued strength in items like oranges, lemons, avocados and berries — all sales powerhouses.” Seven out of the top 10 items in terms of dollar sales saw double-digit increases during the week of May 10 versus the comparable week in 2019.
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
Fresh vegetables
All top 10 vegetable items in terms of dollar sales gained double-digits the week ending May 3, with increases ranging from +12.0% for lettuce to +47.1% for potatoes. “This is elevated everyday demand at work,” said Parker. “Excellent and prolonged gains in items like lettuce, potatoes, peppers and onions can only mean one thing: America is cooking. And that will have positive impacts for a long time to come.”
Lettuce was the top sales category, but potatoes were the top contributor in absolute dollar growth in vegetables, adding $23 million in sales versus the comparable week in 2019.
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
Fresh Versus Frozen and Shelf-Stable Fruits and Vegetables
Consumers continued to split their fruit and vegetable dollars three ways during the week of May 10. In addition to the strong performance of fresh vegetables, frozen and canned vegetables had ongoing strong growth during the second week of May as well. Vegetables continued to have higher gains in shelf-stable, but frozen fruit is gaining faster in frozen.
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
The multi-month normalization of grocery shopping patterns came to a halt in August. “Since January 2021, we had been seeing the share of meals prepared at home decrease a little each month,” said Jonna Parker, Team Lead Fresh with IRI.
“However, with the elevation of COVID-19 cases in the past month, IRI’s latest survey wave among primary shoppers found that the share of meals prepared at home increased once more to nearly 80% from 76.6% in July.”
At the same time, the survey found that people were a little less likely to eat on premise at restaurants. After reaching a high of 50% of primary shoppers in July, the share dropped to 48% in August. Restaurant takeout remained at its high pandemic levels: 53% of consumers have gotten takeout and 20% had restaurant food delivered in the past few weeks.
“Additionally, August saw a bit of an uptick in ecommerce orders after several months of trips moving back to in-person visits,” said Parker. “While these are small shifts, online versus in-store trips can mean different items being purchased, but can also affect impulse areas, including fruit and floral.” The survey also found that shoppers continued to spend less time in-store than they did pre-pandemic.
Combined, all these changes point to the increase in COVID-19 cases across the country prompting some reversal in the normalization of grocery shopping patterns. IRI, 210 Analytics and the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) have teamed up since March 2020 to document the ever-changing marketplace and its impact on fresh produce sales.
Year-to-date sales
The first eight months of the year brought $451 billion in food and beverage sales, which was down just 0.4% from the same period in 2020 – edging closer to year-ago levels each month. Unit sales, however, were down 4.2%. When compared to 2019, dollar sales were up 14.7%. The same pattern holds true for total perishables and frozen items. Frozen foods have the highest increase versus the pre-pandemic normal of 2019, at +22.3%.
Year-to-date
2021 through 8/29/2021
% sales change versus year ago
Dollar size Dollar sales
vs. 2020
Dollar sales
vs. 2019 Unit
Sales vs. 2020
Total food and beverages $451B -0.4% +14.7% -4.2%
Total perishables $206B +0.4% +13.7% -2.6%
Total frozen $48B -0.9% +22.3% -3.5%
Source: IRI, Integrated Fresh, Total US, MULO, % change vs. year ago.
Trips and basket size
2020 had many fewer in-store trips but a highly elevated basket size when people did shop. Come March, that picture reversed with trips trending well above 2020 levels. August was the first month where both in-store trips and the average basket size trended on par or above year-ago levels. The combination of elevated trips and spending is what drove the strong August sales performance.
Source: IRI, household panel, all outlets, total CPG 12/13/2020 through 8/29/2021 versus YA
Food inflation
Food retail price inflation has become a big topic of discussion in recent months and produce prices, by and large, are no exception. IRI-measured price inflation (i.e. dollars divided by volume sold at retail) shows that prices continued to rise over and above their elevated 2020 levels for total food and beverages. The price index for fresh produce is right in line with total food and beverages most weeks currently showing a 6% increase versus 2020 this past August. The July numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) showed record increases for restaurant prices and very similar increases for food-at-home.
Price index vs. YA 6/13 6/20 6/27 7/4 7/11 7/18 7/25 8/1 8/8 8/15 8/22 8/29
Total food and beverages 102 102 103 103 104 104 104 104 105 105 106 106
Fresh produce 106 105 104 103 101 102 102 104 105 104 104 106
Source: IRI, Integrated Fresh Total US, MULO, inflation index vs. YAGO
Produce department Dollar
sales Dollar gains vs. 2020 Dollar gains vs. 2019
August 2021 $7.0B +1.0% +12.1%
w.e. 8/1/2021 $1.40B -0.5% +10.5%
w.e. 8/8/2021 $1.41B +0.5% +11.8%
w.e. 8/15/2021 $1.40B +0.2% +13.7%
w.e. 8/22/2021 $1.38B +1.5% +14.2%
w.e. 8/29/2021 $1.36B +3.3% +10.4%
Source: IRI, Integrated Fresh, Total US, MULO, $ sales
Week-by-week sales fresh produce
Fresh produce accomplished very consistent sales each of the five August weeks, right around $1.4 billion. That meant an uptick over year-ago levels most weeks.
Combined, the five August weeks generated $7.0 billion, which was up 1% year-over-year and 12% over pre-pandemic August 2019.
“August delivered the strongest year-on-year results we have seen since having to go up against the pandemic sales peaks in March,” said Joe Watson, VP of Membership and Engagement for PMA. “Once more, it was fruit sales that boosted overall fresh produce sales past year ago levels, but vegetables had a very strong August as well, now within just two points from the 2020 sales levels. The difference in fruit and vegetable year-over-year performance lies in their 2020 sales results. Vegetables had much higher gains in 2020, which means a tougher road for growth this year. Additionally, fruit has experienced slightly higher inflation thus far in 2021 than vegetables, which boosts dollar sales gains.”
Source: Source: IRI Integrated Fresh, Total U.S., MULO, % change vs. YA
Watson is referring to the 5.7% increase in the price per pound for fresh produce since the start of 2021 versus the same period in 2020. The average price per pound for fruit has increased 7.3% during this period, versus just 4.3% for vegetables.
Price per volume Price/
volume
Change vs. 2020
Change vs. 2019
Total fresh produce YTD $1.66 +5.7% +5.5%
Total fresh produce August 2021 $1.62 +4.5% +7.9%
Fresh vegetables YTD $1.82 +4.3% +3.6%
Fresh vegetables August 2021 $1.85 +3.5% +6.2%
Fresh fruit YTD $1.51 +7.3% +7.3%
Fresh fruit August 2021 $1.44 +5.7% +9.4%
Source: IRI, Integrated Fresh, Total US, MULO, average price per volume and % gain versus YA and 2YA
Fresh share
In addition to year-over-year growth in fresh fruit, shelf-stable fruit also gained, at +7.4%. Frozen fruits and vegetables remained up about 17% sales growth over 2019 but could not match their highly elevated 2020 performance.
August 2021 Dollar
sales Dollar sales gains vs. 2020 Dollar sales
gains vs. 2019
Fresh produce department $7.0B +1.0% +12.1%
Shelf stable fruits $383M +7.4% +16.1%
Shelf stable vegetables $469M -5.1% +9.0%
Frozen fruits and vegetables $619M -3.6% +16.9%
Source: IRI Integrated Fresh, Total US, MULO, % dollar growth vs. 1 and 2 years ago
“The fresh share of total fruit and vegetable dollars across the store remained dropped slightly this August,” said Watson. “Frozen fruit and vegetable sales took back a little of the share they had lost over the last two months and are back to 7.3% in August of 2021. While 82.5% of total fruit and vegetable dollars is the smallest share for fresh produce dollars we have seen since April, in part this is due to inflation now also hitting frozen and shelf stable areas to the same tune as fresh.”
Source: Source: IRI Integrated Fresh, Total U.S., MULO, % change vs. YA
Fresh produce dollars versus volume
The gap between the fresh produce dollar and volume performance persisted in August. Importantly, both dollars (+12.1%) and pound sales (+3.9%) tracked well ahead of 2019’s rates – meaning retail continues to sell many more pounds of fresh produce in August 2021 than it did pre-pandemic.
Source: Source: IRI Integrated Fresh, Total U.S., MULO, 1 month % change vs. YA and vs. 2019 for March and April
“Comparing 2021 vegetable pound sales versus the pre-pandemic 2019 normal is particularly impressive,” said Watson. “Free and clear of the effect of inflation, it shows that U.S. retailers sold 4.7% more pounds of vegetables in August 2021 than the same month in 2019. Retailers sold an additional 3.4% pounds of fruit. That means there is still a lot more product moving through the system today. Consumers continuing to solve 80% of meals at home is the driver there.”
Growth over comparable period
2019 Q1 ‘20 Q2 ‘20 Q3 ‘20 Q4 ‘20 Q1 ‘21 Q2 ‘21 Aug ‘21 vs 2020 Aug ’21 vs 2019
Fruit
Dollars -0.2% +5.3% +10.6% +9.5% +8.7% +5.0% +3.4% +3.6% +13.1%
Volume -0.5% +8.4% +10.7% +7.6% +8.8% -0.6% -6.2% -2.0% +3.4%
Vegetables
Dollars +3.9% +8.4% +20.7% +15.1% +14.8% +4.6% -7.4% -2.1% +11.2%
Volume +1.7% +11.1% +21.9% +12.8% +11.2% +0.3% -12.0% -5.4% +4.7%
Source: IRI Integrated Fresh, Total U.S., MULO, % change vs. YA
Fresh fruit sales in August
US Organic Produce Sales Jumped 14% in 2020
While sales and volume of conventional produce also increased, they were outpaced by organic amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jan 21st, 2021
Mike Hockett
I Stock 871231060
iStock
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has driven consumers to buy food at groceries and cook at home instead of eating out, Americans are eating more organic.
The Organic Produce Network released its 2020 Organic Produce Performance Report on Thursday, showing that sales of organic fresh produce was up 14.2 percent last year compared to 2019. Sales of conventional produce also saw a healthy increase at 10.7 percent.
The OPN said organic fresh produce sales totaled $8.54 billion in 2020, up more than $1 billion over 2019 and represented 12 percent of all fresh produce sales, citing scanned data from Nielsen.
The amount of organic fresh produce bought grew even faster. The OPN said total organic volume in 2020 increased 16 percent over 2019, while conventional produce volume rose by 9 percent. The biggest organic product driver continues to be bananas, which had a 16 percent volume increase in 2020.
The OPN noted that 2020’s organic produce sales increase reflected the pandemic that impacted sales for the last nine months of the year. This was evident in that, of the top 10 organic sales and volume categories, nine of them had double-digit growth in 2020.
Organic fresh produce by region in 2020:
West sales increased 16.8 percent from 2019, while volume increased 17.5 percent
Midwest sales increased 10.7 percent from 2019, while volume increased 12.0 percent
South sales increased 14.7 percent from 2019, while volume increased 17.8 percent
Northeast sales increased 12.7 percent, while volume increased 14.4 percent
The OPN shared that the top three 2020 sales categories for organic fresh produce were packaged salads, berries and apples, with each segment showing double-digit year-over-year gains. The categories showing the largest sales gains were herbs & spices (+26 percent) and potatoes (+21 percent). Of the top 10 sellers, organic grapes was the only one to show a decline at down 6 percent in both sales and volume.
The considerable organic produce sales growth continued through the fourth quarter of 2020, as sales of more than $2 billion were up 15 percent year-over-year, compared with a 10 percent gain in conventional produce. By volume, organic produce was up 14.4 percent, compared to 7.9 percent for conventional. Bananas (+16.0 percent), apples (+14.4 percent volume) and berries (+20.0) percent were the top three organic produce sellers.
“The continued strength of organic fruit and vegetable sales through 2020 despite pandemic-related economic challenges underscores the depth of consumer demand for organic products,” the OPN quoted Steve Lutz, senior vice president of insights and innovation at Category Partners. “Across all of 2020, organic sales growth continued to outpace conventional. As we hopefully see the pandemic begin to subside into 2021, the market opportunities for fresh organic fruits and vegetables in the coming year remain outstanding. There are wide swaths of the US where organic fruits and vegetables have limited distribution and narrow assortment in many conventional supermarkets. This indicates that across a multitude of organic produce categories, there remain significant growth opportunities both by gaining distribution but also in supplying latent consumer demand.”
“Cherry season is always fast and their top three sales rank placement was short lived,” said Parker. “Yet, cherry sales remain in the top 10, with apples, grapes bananas and avocados showing strong sales. Importantly, all but three fruits managed to improve sales year-over-year in August and apples and mixed fruit grew sales by double digits. Deflation in avocados has been pulling sales down for a while, even though engagement and volume sales are strong.”
Berries, apples, bananas and grapes have been steady top 10 sellers, but mandarins, peaches, cherries and mixed fruit are all relative newcomers. Cherries and peaches tend to have short selling seasons and mandarins replaced oranges to represent citrus fruits.
Top 10 in weekly sales Dollar sales increase over comparable period in 2019/2020
2019 Q1 ‘20 Q2 ‘20 Q3 ‘20 Q4 ‘20 Q1 ‘21 Q2 ‘21 Aug ‘21 Aug vs ‘20 Aug vs ‘19
Fresh fruit -0.2% +5.3% +10.6% +9.5% +8.7% +5.0% +3.4% $3.6B +3.6% +13.1%
Berries +4.4% +11.0% +15.3% +14.3% +16.2% +10.9% +8.5% $745M +8.0% +24.0%
Melons +1.0% +4.0% +2.6% +14.4% +18.7% +10.2% +11.8% $465M +3.5% +13.4%
Apples +0.0% +2.2% +3.1% -0.1% +1.9% -0.7% +3.2% $348M +10.5% +9.9%
Grapes -3.1% +1.9% -1.1% -0.3% -0.1% +2.7% -1.2% $331M -0.5% -2.8%
Bananas -0.9% +5.6% +6.2% +0.5% +1.9% -0.6% -1.8% $309M +4.9% +4.3%
Avocados +6.8% +6.6% +14.6% +2.2% +6.1% -0.9% -9.8% $230M -4.8% -3.5%
Cherries -8.0% +5.1% +41.9% +26.7% — — -3.5% $206M -10.2% +18.2%
Peaches -8.3% -2.4% -4.5% -5.3% -0.8% +6.5% +3.2% $152M +9.5% +2.0%
Mandarins -5.8% +7.2% +7.5% +13.5% +15.7% -1.0% +14.2% $120M +9.3% +26.5%
Mixed fruit -1.0% -1.4% -26.4% -1.8% -9.0% +8.3% +57.9% $100M +29.5% +28.5%
Source: Source: IRI Integrated Fresh, Total U.S., MULO, % change vs. YA
March 2020 experienced the biggest spikes in the history of grocery retailing as the nation bought supplies to fill their freezers, fridges and pantries in preparation for shelter in place. After an initial flurry of trips in mid-March, the number of store visits fell far below year-ago levels whereas the average basket ring came in well ahead of the pre-pandemic normal.
While fresh produce sales spiked to record highs in 2020, both canned and frozen fruit and vegetables took share in the early months as people were focused on shelf life. In March 2021, sales started lapping the enormous spikes of 2020 and the comparison to year-ago levels turned negative for most areas even though the demand stayed well ahead of the 2019 baseline.
Trips and basket size
Neither the total store trips nor basket size was able to match the spikes seen in mid-March 2020. While the earlier Easter holiday boosted total store trips the final week of March, the total basket size continued to track below the record 2019 levels, indexing at 97. Sales for all food and beverage related items during the four weeks endings between March 7 and March 28, 2021 dropped to -17.8% below the record March 2020 levels. However, total food and beverage sales remained highly elevated from the 2019 pre-pandemic baseline, at +14.6%.
March produce department sales for the four weeks ending 3/28/2021 decreased 7.6% year on year. While down, this is one of the best performances across departments. In comparison to the 2019 pre-pandemic normal, fresh produce sales at retail were up 11%. Because of the shift to both canned and frozen during the early weeks of the pandemic last year, declines in these areas are much bigger, at -28.7% for frozen fruits and vegetables and -45.3% for canned.
March 2021
(4 weeks ending 3/7 through 3/28/2021) Dollar sales gains vs. 2019 Dollar sales gains vs. 2020
Frozen fruits and vegetables +19.7% -28.7%
Shelf stable fruits and vegetables +7.3% -45.3%
Fresh produce department +11.0% -7.6%
Source: IRI Integrated Fresh, Total US, MULO, % dollar growth vs. 1 and 2 years ago
“We knew the year-over-year picture would radically change come March in going up against the early pandemic spikes of 2020,” said Joe Watson, VP of Membership and Engagement for the Produce Marketing Association (PMA). “But while the year-ago picture is always important, it is just as important to understand current demand relative to the pre-pandemic normal as the country is starting to open up a little more each day. Consumer mobility is improving and it is likely we will see a shift from home-centric consumption to more meals being eaten outside the home. Understanding where that at-home versus away-from-home spending balance lies relative to pre-pandemic will help our industry with demand forecasting.”
Fresh produce generated $5.3 billion in sales during the four March weeks, unchanged from February 2021. This is down $435 million from March 2020, but up $524 million from the 2019 pre-pandemic normal. The latter includes a $242 million increase in fruit and a $283 million increase in vegetables versus the 2019 baseline.
Fresh share
In 2019, fresh produce sales represented 80.8% of total fruits and vegetables sales across the store. That share fell as low as 76.9% during the first quarter of 2020, pulled down by the March panic buying weeks when many dollars were diverted to frozen and canned. While frozen fruit and vegetables remain elevated, the fresh share reached its highest point since the third quarter of 2020, at 80.5% of dollars.
Share of total store fruit/vegetable sales
2019 Q1 ‘20 Q2 ‘20 Q3 ‘20 Q4 ‘20 Jan ‘21 Feb ‘21 Mar ‘21
Fresh 80.8% 76.9% 80.8% 82.1% 77.7% 78.1% 79.1% 80.5%
Shelf stable 11.5% 14.0% 10.8% 10.3% 13.8% 12.9% 12.0% 10.9%
Frozen 7.7% 9.1% 8.4% 7.7% 8.6% 9.1% 8.9% 8.6%
Source: Source: IRI Integrated Fresh, Total U.S., MULO, % change vs. YA
Fresh produce dollars versus volume
Early on in the pandemic, fresh produce experienced deflation with volume outpacing dollar growth. In going up against those patterns in March 2021, both dollars and volume sales were down year-on-year, however, dollars decreased only 7.6% versus 14.8% for volume. Further widening that gap is the slight inflation in March 2021 versus deflation in March 2020. When compared to the 2019 pre-pandemic baseline, both volume and dollar sales were up, with volume 7.1% higher.
“It takes a minute to wrap our brains around these results,” said Watson. “But the pandemic trends of vegetables outperforming fruit have not changed. The easiest way to look at performance is to compare March 2021 dollars and pounds to those sold in March 2019. The year-on-year view shows better results for fruit because the spikes in fruit were not as high as those of vegetables in the early pandemic weeks plus fruit is experiencing some inflation at the moment.”
Growth over comparable period
2019 Q1 ‘20 Q2 ‘20 Q3 ‘20 Q4 ‘20 Jan ‘21 Feb ‘21 Mar ’21 vs 2019 Mar ’21 vs 2020
Fruit
Dollars -0.2% +5.3% +10.6% +9.5% +8.7% +8.9% +8.9% +10.6% -3.9%
Volume -0.5% +8.4% +10.7% +7.6% +8.8% +4.9% +4.1% +4.9% -11.2%
Vegetables
Dollars +3.9% +8.4% +20.7% +15.1% +14.8% +12.6% +13.3% +11.7% -11.1%
Volume +1.7% +11.1% +21.9% +12.8% +11.2% +10.9% +11.6% +9.7% -18.6%
Source: Source: IRI Integrated Fresh, Total U.S., MULO, % change vs. YA
As Watson explained, prices for both fresh fruit and vegetables were up some 8% to 9% over March 2020 levels.
March 2021 Average price/volume Change vs. YA
Produce department $1.70 +8.5%
Fresh fruit $1.59 +8.2%
Fresh vegetables $1.79 +9.2%
Source: IRI Integrated Fresh, Total US, MULO, % dollar growth vs. 1 and 2 years ago
Fresh fruit
“In fruit, the line up of the top 10 measured in dollar sales is fairly typical,” said Watson. “Berries are the untouchable number one, nearly doubling the sales of number two, apples. That is followed by the typical powerhouses of bananas, grapes and avocados. Citrus fruit continues to do very well with mandarins, oranges and lemons all in the top 10 in dollar sales.”
Seven out of the top 10 selling fruits lost ground versus the tremendous sales spikes of 2020. The notable exception is berries that in addition to being the biggest seller still managed robust sales increases both in the comparison to the 2019 pre-pandemic normal (+28.6%) and the year-on-year view (+9.2%). Melons and pineapples also increased sales versus those early pandemic weeks.
Top 10 in weekly sales Dollar sales increase over comparable period in 2019/2020
2019 Q1 ‘20 Q2 ‘20 Q3 ‘20 Q4 ‘20 Jan ‘21 Feb ‘21 Mar ‘21 Mar vs ‘19 Mar vs ‘20
Fresh fruit -0.2% +5.3% +10.6% +9.5% +8.7% +8.7% +7.4% $2.5B +10.6% -3.9%
Berries +4.4% +11.0% +15.3% +14.3% +16.2% +12.9% +8.7% $644M +28.6% +9.2%
Apples +0.0% +2.2% +3.1% -0.1% +1.9% +5.1% +5.1% $327M +1.2% -13.3%
Bananas -0.9% +5.6% +6.2% +0.5% +1.9% +4.3% +2.9% $259M +5.1% -8.9%
Grapes -3.1% +1.9% -1.1% -0.3% -0.1% +4.0% -4.3% $238M -3.4% -10.0%
Avocados +6.8% +6.6% +14.6% +2.2% +6.1% +2.5% +5.3% $192M +8.1% -10.3%
Mandarins -5.8% +7.2% +7.5% +13.5% +15.7% +3.7% +12.1% $185M -0.9% -16.0%
Melons +1.0% +4.0% +2.6% +14.4% +18.7% +6.5% +12.1% $138M +10.7% +11.8%
Oranges -9.6% +8.6% +65.4% +40.0% +23.5% +20.2% +16.0% $103M +8.3% -25.4%
Pineapples +0.1% -5.8% +7.2% +15.6% +14.5% +13.5% +14.6% $67M +4.9% +11.8%
Lemons -6.5% +1.8% +35.9% +30.2% +21.5% +25.5% +24.3% $65M +16.0% -10.3%
Source: Source: IRI Integrated Fresh, Total U.S., MULO, % change vs. YA
Fresh vegetables
“Vegetables’ enormous strength in 2020 means that we’re seeing many down versus year-ago levels,” said Watson. “Yet, we see packaged salads’ dollar sales still ahead of those 2020 peaks, at +8.4% along with cucumbers that also managed a small gain, at +1.9%.” In comparison with the 2019 pre-pandemic base line, all vegetables are up, with the highest gain of 26.0% for packaged salads.
Top 10 in weekly sales Dollar sales increase over comparable period in 2019/2020
2019 Q1 ‘20 Q2 ‘20 Q3 ‘20 Q4 ‘20 Jan ‘21 Feb ‘21 Mar ‘21 Mar vs ‘19 Mar vs ‘20
Fresh vegetables +3.9% +8.4% +20.7% +15.1% +14.8% +12.6% +12.8% $2.7B +11.7% -11.1%
Tomatoes +0.3% +12.7% +24.7% +17.8% +17.6% +8.8% +12.1% $307M +15.9% -9.6%
Package salad +12.2% +13.0% +11.6% +14.0% +21.7% +16.5% +11.5% $250M +26.0% +8.4%
Potatoes +1.5% +19.4% +36.8% +16.6% +12.1% +16.1% +15.6% $249M +11.7% -31.9%
Lettuce +6.3% +3.5% +14.2% +8.0% +23.2% +14.1% +13.6% $196M +7.3% -1.4%
Peppers +4.2% +5.5% +28.0% +22.1% +21.7% +17.1% +21.0% $193M +17.6% -4.2%
Onions +6.0% +11.5% +23.4% +11.9% +11.2% +14.2% +15.4% $177M +9.1% -23.1%
Carrots -1.6% +6.4% +12.1% +6.5% +4.6% +2.4% +6.2% $107M +0.4% -21.4%
Mushrooms +0.6% +8.1% +31.2% +23.0% +17.5% +16.2% +13.8% $105M +15.0% -6.3%
Cucumbers +3.1% +10.2% +21.4% +18.9% +21.8% +14.2% +12.3% $100M +21.7% +1.9%
Broccoli +7.3% +4.8% +18.5% +13.4% +11.3% +11.1% +10.0% $89M +7.8% -10.2%
Source: Source: IRI Integrated Fresh, Total U.S., MULO, % change vs. YA
Absolute dollar gains
“Despite going up against huge March 2020, berries still managed to sell an additional $54 million in March 2021,” said Watson. “The strength of salads kits is also clear with an additional $19 million sold. And while the latter half of the top 10 in absolute dollar growth are mostly newcomers with small amounts compared to the strength of berries and salad kits, these still indicate interesting pockets of growth for 2021. Fresh herbs, represented by basil, have been a very exciting category as people are recreating restaurant meals at home and experimenting with new meats, for instance.”
March 2021 Versus comparable period in 2020
Top 10 produce items in absolute dollar growth Absolute dollar gain Dollar % growth Total dollar sales
Berries +$54M +9.2% $644M
Salad kits +$19.3M +8.4% $250M
Mixed fruit +$14.6M +28.1% $66.4M
Melons +$14.5M +11.8% $138M
Pineapples +$7.1M +11.8% $67.3M
Cherries +$3.5M +244.4% $5.0M
Party trays & gifts fruit +$3.0M +30.5% $13.0M
Peaches +$2.5M +25.1% $12.4M
Pomegranates +$2.5M +119.5% $4.6M
Basil +$2.0M +25.5% $10.1M
Source: IRI Integrated Fresh, Total U.S., MULO
Fresh versus frozen and shelf-stable fruits and vegetables
While fresh fruit and vegetables dollar sales at retail only decreased 7.6%, both frozen and shelf-stable saw much greater declines due to going up against triple-digit increases in March 2020.
Perimeter performance
A look across departments for the four weeks ending March 28, 2021 versus year ago shows a down performance for all, with the exception of seafood. Compared to the 2019 pre-pandemic performance baseline, all departments increased sales, reflecting continued strong everyday and holiday (Easter) demand.
March 2021
(4 weeks ending 3/7 through 3/28/2021) $
sales Dollar sales gains vs. 2019 Dollar sales gains vs. 2020
Bakery $2.6B +8.6% -10.3%
Deli (meat, cheese and deli prepared) $3.0B +9.8% -0.3%
Meat $5.9B +18.0% -22.5%
Produce $5.3B +11.0% -7.6%
Seafood $548M +26.2% -13.3%
Source: IRI Integrated Fresh, Total U.S., MULO, % change vs. YA, fixed and random weight items combined into department views.
What’s next?
With an early Easter, on April 4, much of the Easter sales would have fallen in the March calendar month while the 2020 Easter season was heavily disrupted by shelter-in-place mandates in the vast majority of states.
Meanwhile, several indicators of consumer mobility – reflecting how much people are moving around to go to school, work, out to dinner, vacation or visit family and friends, etc. – are trending up. In March, TSA checkpoint numbers, OpenTable reservations, Apple driving and walking statistics, gasoline sales, the re-opening of schools and more are all indicating a higher level of consumer mobility. Increased mobility is also likely to result in a shift from home-centric food spending to greater foodservice engagement, but may also drive increased demand for time-saving, convenience focused solutions.
Other pertinent findings from the IRI survey with primary grocery shoppers conducted in March include:
Working-from-home continues at highly elevated levels compared to pre-pandemic. As of March 2021, 44% of those who work at home some or all days a week believe they will continue to do so after getting the COVID-19 vaccine. This means a continuation of more at-home breakfasts and lunches and less dinner-time commuting.
As of March 2021, 45% of younger school-aged children are still partaking in virtual education only. This share is slightly higher among teens, at 52%. These numbers continue to change as more school districts are experimenting with partial in-person schedules — impacting breakfasts and lunches.
More consumers are comfortable in store, with the share saying they are “relaxed” up from 40% in May 2020 to 61% in March 2021. This goes hand-in-hand with an increase of the average time spent in the store. This creates a more favorable environment for new item introductions along with robust interest among consumers for meal solutions and meal preparation or assembly.
The nation’s pent-up demand for eating out at restaurants is translating into 40% expecting to dine out as often or more often as they did before the pandemic. This is up from a low of 19% during July 2020. However, that still leaves 60% of consumers who continue to prepare meals at home more frequently than they did pre-pandemic.
Online sales started spiking a little later than in-person sales in March and April 2020. The generally high satisfaction levels translate into 68% of online grocery shoppers believing they will continue to shop online at similar rates after being vaccinated. An additional 11% believe they may buy groceries online even more often. This bodes well for grocery e-commerce to be able to keep pace with the records set in 2020.
The next report, covering April, will be released in mid-May. We encourage you to contact Joe Watson, PMA’s Vice President of Membership and Engagement, at jwatson@pma.com with any questions or concerns. Please recognize the continued dedication of the entire grocery and produce supply chains, from farm to retailer. #produce #joyoffresh #SupermarketSuperHeroes.
Fresh vegetables sales in August
“Vegetables generated about $3.2 billion in August sales with many of the same powerhouses we have seen all year,” said Watson. “Mushrooms climbed a bit higher in the rankings with nice year-on-year gains and broccoli bumped corn out of the top 10.”
Top 10 in weekly sales Dollar sales increase over comparable period in 2019/2020
2019 Q1 ‘20 Q2 ‘20 Q3 ‘20 Q4 ‘20 Q1 ‘21 Q2 ‘21 Aug ‘21 Aug vs ‘20 Aug vs ‘19
Fresh vegetables +3.9% +8.4% +20.7% +15.1% +14.8% +4.6% -7.4% $3.2B -2.1% +11.2%
Tomatoes +0.3% +12.7% +24.7% +17.8% +17.6% +3.6% -8.7% $355M -4.7% +10.5%
Packaged salad +12.2% +13.0% +11.6% +14.0% +21.7% +13.0% +14.8% $318M +10.0% +24.8%
Potatoes +1.5% +19.4% +36.8% +16.6% +12.1% -4.1% -19.9% $293M -4.3% +8.6%
Lettuce +6.3% +3.5% +14.2% +8.0% +23.2% +8.9% -3.5% $266M +3.0% +11.9%
Peppers +4.2% +5.5% +28.0% +22.1% +21.7% +11.5% -7.1% $233M -3.4% +15.9%
Onions +6.0% +11.5% +23.4% +11.9% +11.2% +0.8% -14.8% $226M -1.1% +8.2%
Cucumbers +3.1% +10.2% +21.4% +18.9% +21.8% +9.9% +2.5% $126M +4.5% +23.2%
Mushrooms +0.6% +8.1% +31.2% +23.0% +17.5% +8.2% -13.0% $115M -9.1% +10.4%
Carrots -1.6% +6.4% +12.1% +6.5% +4.6% -5.1% -7.6% $113M +1.9% +7.2%
Broccoli +7.3% +5.3% +19.0% +13.9% +11.9% +5.0% -5.0% $106M +1.4% +14.1%
Source: Source: IRI Integrated Fresh, Total U.S., MULO, % change vs. YA
Absolute dollar gains
“The top 10 in absolute sales show both small and large categories can be significant contributors to growth,” said Parker. “Berries have been a pandemic powerhouse for many, many months, but areas such as peaches, mandarins and pineapples show the importance of seasonal offerings to department sales. Key is extending that interest into other parts of the department- taking advantage of seasonal interest to showcase within Produce and across the store.”
August 2021 Versus comparable period in 2020
Top 10 produce items in absolute dollar growth Absolute dollar gain Dollar % growth Total dollar sales
Berries +$55M +8.0% $745M
Apples +$33M +10.5% $348M
Salad kits +$29M +10.0% $318M
Mixed fruit +$23M +29.5% $100M
Melons +$18M +3.5% $465M
Bananas +$14M +4.9% $309M
Peaches +$13M +9.5% $152M
Mandarins +$10M +9.3% $120M
Pineapples +$8M +10.2% $90M
Lettuce +$8M +3.0% $266M
Source: IRI Integrated Fresh, Total U.S., MULO
Perishables performance
A look across fresh foods departments for the five August weeks shows perimeter strength. All but fresh seafood gained year-over-year, with the highest increases going to deli and bakery. It is important to remember, however, that the year-on-year look is heavily influenced by the 2020 performance which was off for these two departments versus up significantly for meat, produce, refrigerated and seafood.
August 2021 $
sales Dollar sales gains vs. 2020 Dollar sales gains vs. 2019
Total perishables $29.6B +3.4% +13.7%
Meat $7.8B +3.6% +16.6%
Produce $7.0B +1.0% +12.1%
Refrigerated (including dairy) $6.8B +1.5% +13.3%
Deli (meat, cheese and deli prepared) $4.0B +9.9% +12.2%
Bakery $3.4B +5.4% +10.6%
Seafood $667M -0.8% +25.5%
Source: IRI Integrated Fresh, Total U.S., MULO, % change vs. YA, fixed and random weight items combined into department views
Floral
Floral sales have been seeing double-digit gains ever since the third quarter of 2020 and growth is only accelerating. For the building calendar year, the weeks between January and September 9, 2021, floral has generated nearly $5.4 billion in sales. This reflects an increase of 25.8% versus the same period a year ago.
Dollar sales increase over comparable period in 2019/2020
2019 Q1 ‘20 Q2 ‘20 Q3 ‘20 Q4 ‘20 Q1 ‘21 Building YTD YTD 2021
Department floral +3.2% -0.3% -3.4% +15.8% +14.5% +26.9% $5.4B +25.8%
Source: IRI Integrated Fresh, Total U.S., MULO, % change vs. YA through 9/5/2021
What’s next?
The elevated COVID-19 case counts prompted some reversal in the normalization of shopping patterns, but nothing like the changes seen in 2020 or earlier this year. Engagement with restaurants remained high even if slightly fewer people ate on premise. The mix of food service and retail solving consumer meal needs remains tipped to the retail/at home side for the foreseeable future as it has been since March 2020.
As of yet, most school districts are planning to resume in-person education. As of the second week of August, the IRI survey found that:
11% of kids ages six to 12 and 14% of teenagers will be in virtual education.
4% of children 6-12 and 5% of teenagers will be in hybrid education (a combination of virtual and in person)
79% of children 6-12 and 37% of teenagers will be at school in person.
This is in vast contrast to August 2020 when 58% of children were in virtual education and only 16% of children attended school in person.
Additionally, fewer people are working from home. In August 2020, 34% of primary shoppers in the IRI survey were working from home five days a week versus 28% in the August 2021 wave. Likewise, the share who works from home one or more days a week decreased from 53% to 46%.
This may have implications for items that are typical lunchbox solutions as well as change the dynamics between units and volume. Since the start of the pandemic, large servings/family packs have been popular, resulting in stronger volume versus unit gains. However, with schools and offices reopening, we may start to see a shift back to more on-the-go, single-serve solutions.
The next report, covering September, will be released in mid-October. We encourage you to contact Joe Watson, PMA’s Vice President of Membership and Engagement, at jwatson@pma.com with any questions or concerns. Please recognize the continued dedication of the entire grocery and produce supply chains, from farm to retailer. #produce #joyoffresh #SupermarketSuperHeroes.
Vegetables up 15.2% and fruit up 1.5%
US fresh produce sales in retail remain high.
March 29 marks the end of the third week of tightening social distancing measures caused by the rapid spread of the coronavirus. As of early April, 47 states have issued some type of executive order governing social and business activities, with tremendous impact on grocery and produce sales. While the foodservice side has been decimated, sales at retail started surging come the second week of March. 210 Analytics, IRI and PMA partnered up to understand the effect for produce in dollars and volume throughout the pandemic.
During the week of March 29, produce sales continued to show highly elevated levels regardless of where they were sold in the store, despite many chains running limited opening hours:
Fresh produce increased 8.1% over the comparable week in 2019.
Frozen, +41.6%
Shelf-stable, +51.0%
Source: IRI, Total US, MULO, week ending March 29, 2020
Fresh Produce
The March dollar growth trend line for fresh fruit shows very strong results for the week endings March 15 and March 22 and a return to more moderate growth levels the week of March 29, at +1.5%, which translated into an additional $9 million in sales. Sales growth patterns for fresh vegetables were similar, but higher. For the week ending March 29, IRI showed vegetables up 15.2% —adding $88 million versus the comparable week in 2019. It is important to point out that stockouts and purchase limits may have affected reported gains. Additionally, distributors are finding creative ways of going consumer-direct. These sales are not reflected in these numbers.
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
At the onset of coronavirus in the U.S., dollar and volume sales were relatively close together for total produce, at +0.4% for dollars and +1.3% in volume. However, particularly the week ending March 22, volume sales far exceeded dollar sales, creating a nine-point gap, which would indicate deflation setting in at retail for some areas.
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
The gap was widest for vegetables, particularly the latest two weeks. For the week ending March 29, volume sales gains for vegetables were more than 10 points higher than dollar growth.
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
For the third week in a row, potatoes were the growth leader in absolute dollars, selling $32 million more than in the comparable week in 2019, or +65.1%. Others that gained big in dollars were onions, tomatoes and oranges. Jonna Parker, Team Lead, Fresh for IRI shares: “Looking at the 10 fruits and vegetables that added the most new dollars in the week of March 29, shows significantly higher volume than dollar growth for items such as onions, carrots and lemons. This is likely the direct influence of the decline in foodservice demand.”
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
Fresh Fruit
Fresh fruit sales growth dropped back down to single digits, at +1.5%. Oranges saw the biggest gain in absolute dollars, up $9.8 million over the week of March 29 over the comparable week in 2019, or +42.7%. Other big contributors in dollars and percentage were avocados (+$7.5 million or 17.8%) and lemons (+$4.4 million or 32.7%). Berries, apples and bananas remain the largest categories.
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
Fresh vegetables
On the fresh vegetable side, potatoes continued to have extremely impressive growth, up 65.1%. Other impressive growth categories were onions, carrots and mushrooms.
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
Fresh Versus Frozen and Shelf-Stable
Consumers continued to split their produce dollar three ways during the week of March 29. Frozen and canned vegetables had ongoing strong growth during the last week of March.
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
“With the stocking up on canned and frozen produce slowing down this week, the share of dollars going to fresh dollars was significantly higher than we’ve seen in recent weeks,” said Parker. “However, at 76%, the fresh produce share is still significantly lower than its typical share, with continued above-average strength for frozen fruits and vegetables.”
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
For more information:
Anne-Marie Roerink
210 Analytics LLC
Tel: +1 (210) 651-2719
Email: aroerink@210analytics.com
www.210analytics.com
Organic fresh produce sales continue double digit growth in May
Total organic fresh produce sales and volume continue their double digit growth over last year, with May sales and volume increasing 16 percent from the same period in 2019, according to the May 2020 Organic Produce Performance Report released exclusively by the Organic Produce Network and Category Partners.
Organic fresh produce sales last month saw a continuation of trends established in March and April, with elevated sales across the entire supermarket as consumers continued at-home eating in the face of restaurant closures, albeit at slightly lower levels. As a result, May 2020 organic fresh produce sales topped $662 million.
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
Overall, organic sales in May increased by 16.3 percent in dollars, and 16.2 percent in volume from May of 2019, while conventional produce dollars increased by 18 percent and volume was up 15.5 percent. The May 2020 Organic Produce Performance Report utilized Nielsen retail scan data covering total food sales and outlets in the United States over the month of May.
“We continue to see the strength of organic fresh produce at retail and how consumers show no indications of shifting purchases away from organic fruit and vegetables,” said Matt Seeley, CEO of the Organic Produce Network.
Bananas continue to be the dominant category for volume growth, larger than the next two categories (carrots and apples) combined. Per the report, the top three categories---bananas, carrots and apples---also share a common trait: retail prices for organic options are priced relatively close to their conventional counterpart.
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
A broader trend reflected in the report is consumer purchases of organic ingredient products. “Of the top 15 organic volume growth categories, nine were vegetables," said Steve Lutz, Senior Vice President, Insights and Innovation at Category Partners. “Large volume increases in products like organic cauliflower, celery, herbs, mushrooms and broccoli continue to reflect a shift in consumer home food preparation habits since the beginning of the pandemic in March.”
The full May 2020 Organic Produce Performance Report is available on the Organic Produce Network website.
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
Sales solution for fresh produce fruit & vegetable
For more information:
Matt Seeley
Organic Produce Network
Tel: +1 (831) 884-5058
Email: Matt@organicproducenetwork.com
www.organicproducenetwork.com
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