National retail report - July 11

Produce ads are way down this week, the USDA reports. As per usual, here is the summary from the USDA's National Retail Report. From the July 11 report:


Fresh Produce Ads Decline After July 4th Holiday
Retailers resumed summer-themed ads this week without the holiday focus of last week. Fresh produced continued to be prominently featured in many ads. Ads touted locally grown produce often and included a wide variety of seasonal items not formally reported here.
Overall fresh produce ads declined nearly 11% this week compared to last week. Fruit ad activity declined nearly 13% and vegetables were down almost 7%. The most notable declines were seen on corn (down 71%) and whole seedless watermelons (down roughly 68%). Despite fewer ads, however, fruits continued to command the bulk of total ad space. The top 5 featured items this week were all fruits and included: peaches, cherries, nectarines, grapes, and strawberries. These items made up 58% of all fruit ads and over 35% of total produce ads.


Fruits as Percentage of Total Fruit Ads - July 11, 2008
Bananas 0%
Avocadoes, hass 3%
Apples, red delicious 1%
Bananas, organic 0%
Watermelon, seedless 4%
Watermelon, mini 2%
Blueberries 0%
Cantaloupe 7%
Honeydew 1%
Grapefruit, red 0%
Grapes, green/red 11%
Clementines 0%
Cherries 11%
Strawberries, organic 3%
Strawberries 10%
Plums 8%
Pineapple 3%
Limes 2%
Lemons 0%
Oranges, navel 0%
Peaches 15%
Pears, bartlett 0%
Mangoes 6%
Nectarines 11%




Vegetables as Percentage of Total Vegetable Ads - July 11, 2008
Broccoli, organic 1%
Broccoli 2%
Beans, round green 4%
Tomatoes on the vine 10%
Tomatoes 4%
Cabbage 3%
Carrots, baby organic 6%
Carrots, baby 6%
Asparagus 3%
Tomatoes, grape organic 4%
Tomatoes, grape 4%
Celery 1%
Corn 7%
Cucumbers 6%
Lettuce, iceberg 4%
Lettuce, romaine 2%
Mushrooms, white 6%
Onions, yellow 1%
Sweet Potatoes 1%
Squash, zucchini 8%
Potatoes, russet 2%
Peppers, bell red 3%
Peppers, bell green 5%
Onions, sweet 9%