National Retail Report - June 13

A big increase in ad activity for tomatoes on the the vine in this week's report, and the USDA said the overall tomato category was "surprisingly" active. From the USDA National Retail Report from June 13:

Barbecue Items for Father’s Day
This week’s ads were focused largely on the upcoming Father’s Day holiday with special sales on barbecue items, drinks, snacks, and anything else “Dad” might like. Retailers also continued to feature a variety of general merchandise as part of summertime themes as well as many dairy products in honor of National Dairy Month. Although overall fresh produce ad activity declined over 17% and fruit ads were down more than 32%, vegetable ads were up almost 6%. This increase is due mainly to the large increases in ad activity on bell peppers and tomatoes on the vine. Both green and red peppers sold per pound and each combined accounted for 13% of vegetable ad activity. Tomatoes were a surprisingly popular item as well, despite the recent salmonella outbreak. The top 5 items this week were centered on seasonal produce, especially fruits. They included: peaches, corn, strawberries, grapes, and sweet onions. Berries were featured quite heavily yet again this week. Blueberries were beginning to be advertised most often in pints as opposed to the 4.4 oz package. This data is reflected in our seasonal category below along with blackberries and raspberries.

Fruits as Percentage of Total Fruit Ads - June 13, 2008
Pineapple 5%
Plums 3%
Lemons 0%
Bananas 0%
Blueberries 1%
Bananas, organic 0%
Avocadoes, hass 6%
Apples, red delicious 1%
Watermelon, seedless 7%
Watermelon, mini 3%
Strawberries, organic 5%
Strawberries 12%
Cantaloupe 9%
Cherries 7%
Honeydew 1%
Limes 2%
Grapefruit, red 1%
Grapes, green/red 11%
Mangoes 3%
Nectarines 8%
Pears, bartlett 0%
Oranges, navel 0%
Peaches 16%


Vegetables as Percentage of Total Vegetable Ads - June 13, 2008
Broccoli, organic 0%
Broccoli 1%
Beans, round green 2%
Tomatoes on the vine 10%
Tomatoes, organic 0%
Tomatoes 3%
Cabbage 1%
Carrots, baby organic 3%
Carrots, baby 6%
Asparagus 2%
Tomatoes, grape organic 2%
Tomatoes, grape 6%
Celery 0%
Corn 12%
Cucumbers 3%
Lettuce, iceberg 5%
Lettuce, romaine 1%
Mushrooms, white 7%
Onions, yellow 2%
Sweet Potatoes 1%
Squash, zucchini 5%
Potatoes, russet 3%
Peppers, bell red 8%
Peppers, bell green 5%
Onions, sweet 10%