United Fresh releases third-quarter produce retail report

United Fresh Produce Association’s Q3 2020 issue of FreshFacts on Retail report is now available, sponsored by Mucci Farms. Mucci Farms is a leading greenhouse grower, packer, shipper and marketer of fresh fruits and vegetables with growing and distribution facilities in Canada and the U.S.

According to a press release, the report explores consumer preferences for packaged and bulk produce. While growth in packaged produce continues to outpace bulk, this is due to retained produce buyers increasing consumption of packaged produce versus consumers shifting from bulk to packaged items.

“It may be easy to assume that the pandemic is the main driver for consumers to increase purchases of packaged produce,” said Miriam Wolk, United Fresh’s Vice President of Member Services. “However, Nielsen’s data indicates that consumers are influenced by a variety of factors, such as size options, fridge-life perception and convenience. What’s most important is that packaged produce seems to drive increased purchases and basket size.”

Q3 2020 data highlights include:

• Consumer perceptions on late summer prime seasonality drove trips and dollars for the fruit category, with a 7.8% increase in sales compared to this period last year.
• Vegetables continue to surge with a 14.4% increase in sales compared to this period last year, with corn, bell peppers and mushrooms outperforming expectations.
• Packaged salad continues its reign as a top-selling organic produce commodity, while herbs and spices, as well as bananas and apples, showed growth in this continually growing category.
• Category spotlights explore peppers, cucumbers and berries, with insights on how enclosed varieties are surging in popularity.
• Consumer response to value-added fruit rebounded, likely due to consumers looking for convenience solutions as schools reopened and meal preparation fatigue kicked in.

FreshFacts on Retail, produced in partnership with Nielsen Fresh and with direction from the United Fresh Retail-Foodservice Board, measures retail price and sales trends for the top 10 fruit and vegetable commodities as well as other value-added produce categories.

To further explore the data from this issue, the United Fresh Retail-Foodservice Board will host a webinar on Tuesday, Dec. 15 at noon EST/9 a.m. PST. Moderated by Jeff Cady, Director of Produce and Floral, Tops Friendly Markets and featuring analysis from Mike Galaburda, Client Director, Nielsen Perishables Group, the webinar will highlight the notable statistics from the report, as well as provide an opportunity for produce professionals to gain a broader understanding of what may be driving current trends. To register for the webinar, visit www.unitedfresh.org.

The complete FreshFacts on Retail Q3 2020 report is available free of charge for United Fresh members ($50 for non-members). To download the report, visit www.unitedfresh.org.