National retail report - Feb. 27

From the USDA's National Retail Report of Feb. 27:

Lenten seafood specials were the highlight of this week’s ads nationwide. Some retailers promoted other Lenten foods such as canned tuna, soup, eggs and cheese. Ads that broke earlier in the period featured Fat Tuesday bakery items such as King Cake and Paczki donuts. A few were promoting candy and other items needed to create a festive Easter basket. Overall this week, total produce ad activity showed a modest increase of 1.4%. Grapes continue to be the most popular item featured this week, beating second place asparagus by nearly 5,000 total ads. Nectarines remained the third most popular item, while avocadoes edged out peaches by only 30 ads. In addition, there were notable increases in ads for limes, lemons, iceberg lettuce, and tomatoes on the vine.