Retail report - July 4

From the USDA's National Retail Report:




July 4th Ads Highlight Fresh Produce
Ads this week were centered on the July 4th holiday mainly with features for typical picnic and barbeque items. These ads prominently featured fresh produce and meats for grilling. The produce ads were concentrated heavily on berries, corn, stone fruits and watermelon. Fruits continued to dominate the produce ads this week, comprising 63% of the total ads. Overall fresh produce ad activity increased by 15% with a 19% increase on fruits and 8% on vegetables. Despite the overwhelming majority of fruit ads, corn was the most often featured produce item this week and represented 22% of the total vegetable ads and more than 8% of the ads overall. Corn was followed by seedless watermelons, peaches, nectarines, and strawberries. In all regions, some retailers made an effort to inform customers about which products were locally grown. Several states’ products were featured including California stone fruits and berries, Florida avocados, a variety of fruits and vegetables from New Jersey, and Texas watermelons.


Fruits as Percentage of Total Fruit Ads - July 04, 2008
Bananas, organic 0%
Bananas 0%
Avocadoes,hass 7%
Honeydew 1%
Limes 3%
Lemons 1%
Grapefruit, red 0%
Blueberries 0%
Cantaloupe 7%
Cherries 7%
Grapes, green/red 10%
Mangoes 4%
Apples, red delicious 1%
Watermelon, seedless 12%
Watermelon, mini 1%
Strawberries, organic 3%
Strawberries 10%
Plums 6%
Pineapple 3%
Nectarines 11%
Peaches 11%




Vegetables as Percentage of Total Vegetable Ads - July 04, 2008
Broccoli, organic 0%
Broccoli 1%
Beans, round green 2%
Tomatoes on the vine 10%
Tomatoes 2%
Cabbage 0%
Carrots, baby organic 2%
Carrots, baby 8%
Asparagus 2%
Tomatoes, grape organic 2%
Tomatoes, grape 4%
Celery 0%
Corn 22%
Cucumbers 2%
Lettuce, iceberg 2%
Lettuce, romaine 1%
Mushrooms, white 6%
Onions, yellow 2%
Sweet Potatoes 1%
Squash, zucchini 4%
Potatoes, russet 1%
Peppers, bell red 4%
Peppers, bell green 5%
Onions, sweet 14%