National Retail Report - April 25

Earth day and produce converged this week, so retailers weren't shy about promoting organic. From the USDA National Retail Report from April 25:

Seasonal and Organic Items Highlighted
This week’s grocery ads again reminded shoppers that grilling season is here, with sales on meat, sweet corn, and red peppers prominent nationwide. There were also several ads promoting natural and organic selections in honor of April 22 Earth Day celebrations. These ads included a wide variety of items such as, organic apples, natural peanut butter, bottled
juices, and organic bathroom tissue. Many retailers featured strawberries on the front page of their ads, with many ads of the buy-one-get-one free type. Compared to last week, overall fresh produce ads this week were down over 6 percent with a decline of nearly 11 percent on fruit ads and a decline of nearly 2 percent on vegetable ads. There was a significant drop in the number of grape, honeydew, and Bartlett pear ads this week. Three of the top five commodities advertised this week were vegetables: sweet onions, tomatoes on the vine, and corn. Other vegetables that showed an increase in the number of ads despite the overall drop from last week were: asparagus, russet potatoes and red bell peppers. The sharp increase in the number of sweet onion ads can be attributed to the Vidalia onion season in Georgia being well underway.