National Retail Report - Jan. 18

Here is the summary graph from the Jan. 18 National Retail Price Report:

Advertised Prices for Fruits & Vegetables at Major Retail Supermarket Outlets 01/12 to 01/24
Retail Themes Varied, Overall Produce Ads Down

A variety of themes were seen in ads this week. Many continued to promote health food, natural, and organic items throughout the store. There were many 10 for $10, 5 for $10, buy -one -get -one -free”, and pantry stocking ads across the country. In addition, there were some ads highlighting football playoff party items such as ribs, seafood, wings, chips, and salsa (both prepared and homemade). Breakfast cereals and frozen pizzas seemed to be featured by the majority of retailers. Overall this week, produce ad activity declined nearly 5 percent. Despite a decline of roughly 9 percent on fruits and a slight increase in overall vegetable ads, fruits were still featured more often than vegetables. In fact, all fruit items either declined or stayed about the same in activity with the exception of grapes, nectarines, peaches, and plums. The top featured items were strawberries, sweet onions, peaches, cherries, and blueberries. Also worth noting was the abundance of other citrus ads this week. These included bagged navel oranges and grapefruits, Cara Cara oranges, and tangelos.

Fruits as Percentage of Total Fruit Ads January 18, 2008
Lemons 1%
Honeydew 0%
Limes 1%
Mangoes 8%
Nectarines, yellow flesh 8%
Oranges, navel 3%
Pears, Bartlett 1%
Peaches 9%
Pineapple 5%
Plums 2%
Strawberries 10%
Watermelon, mini 1%
Grapes, green/red 2%
Clementines 3%
Bananas 1%
Avocadoes, hass 7%
Bananas, organic 1%
Blueberries 8%
Cantaloupe 7%
Cherries 9%
Grapefruit, red 7%
Apples, red delicious 5%

Vegetables as Percentage of Total Vegetable Ads January 18, 2008
Tomatoes 1%
Tomatoes, grape 7%
Tomatoes, organic 0%
Tomatoes, grape organic 2%
Asparagus 4%
Beans, round green 4%
Broccoli 2%
Broccoli, organic 1%
Sweet Potatoes 2%
Tomatoes on the vine 3%
Squash, zucchini 3%
Potatoes, russet 7%
Peppers, bell red 10%
Peppers, bell green 6%
Celery 2%
Corn 0%
Cucumbers 4%
Lettuce, iceberg 3%
Lettuce, romaine 2%
Onions, sweet 11%
Carrots, baby organic 5%
Cabbage 5%
Carrots, baby 9%
Mushrooms, white 5%
Onions, yellow 4%

Fresh Talk - Google Talk

I'm going to take another run at Google Talk (check the embedded frame down the right side of the blog). In any case, discussion group users may want to sign up for a Google Talk account and see if this works. We have had a bunch of readers to the blog today, so Friday might be a good day to schedule a "live" Fresh Talk.

Hot topic - Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program

Here is an preliminary evaluation done by Wisconsin on the fresh fruit and vegetable program there - based on three months data. You will note generally glowing reviews, though not all kids are taking home new eating habits yet.

Hot links

A quick survey of Fresh Talk hot links. By the way, make today the day you join the Fresh Produce Industry Discussion Group. Great posts and nobody extracts a pound of flesh for membership...

The Packer
Clementines take lead role, push navels back

TK Headliines:
The farmers' market effect

Fresh Produce Industry Discussion Group
Farmers owe Feds $450 Million - Luis
In the farm bill, a creature from the Black Lagoon? - Big Apple

Center for Global Food Issues
New Year's Resolution: Organic farming can't feed the world

The Ethicurean
"We're never going to get anywhere if we insist on dividing the country into red fruits and blue fruits."