Boosted by Easter, April delivered $7.4 billion in fresh produce sales, according to Anne-Marie Roerink, president of 210 Analytics, in partnership with Circana and the IFPA.
Dollars and volume increased year over year and also remained well above the levels of two years ago. Fruit delivered growth in dollar sales for the total produce department. While fruit dollar sales increased 7.2 percent year over year, vegetable dollar sales were flat, in large part due to the deflationary conditions.
April produce prices reflect slight inflation for fresh fruit, though below the rate of overall food and beverage inflation. Fresh vegetable prices continue to drop. The average price per pound for vegetables in April stood at $1.98, which was down 2.8 percent year-over-year.
The month also delivered strong results for frozen and shelf-stable fruit and vegetables. While the percentage gains in shelf-stable fruit and vegetables was higher than that of fresh, it was off a smaller base.
On the fruit side, berries, grapes and apples remained the top three sellers. Easter boosted pineapples, while mixed fruit moved into the top 10 with an 8 percent year-over-year gain for pineapples. Citrus also was well represented in the top 10, with mandarins and oranges in sixth and seventh position.
On the vegetable side, the results were far more mixed. Potatoes had a huge month, with an 11 percent year-over-year gain in pound sales. Tomatoes, lettuce and onions, on the other hand, saw slight decreases.
Others that had a good month included cucumbers, carrots and broccoli. Asparagus grew dollar sales by 14.5 percent to $85 million in April, although unit and pound sales were down.
Produce experienced dollar and pound increases all four weeks of April, but gains were the highest the week leading up to Easter and the holiday week itself. Pound sales increased by more than 9 percent that week.
When regarding absolute dollar growth, berries top the list with an additional $95.0 million in sales compared to April 2024. Avocados were a strong second, with an absolute dollar gain of $25.7 million, though this was inflationary driven with pounds off by 2.2 percent.
After first making the top 10 in January, mangoes remained among the first three in April, with an additional $20 million versus April 2024. Kiwis and cucumbers dropped out of the rankings, while sweet potatoes and pineapples moved in.
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