Sales show a steady rise for lemons and limes
Lemons and limes are on the rise.
Expanding per capita consumption, increasing imports and moderate retail growth in sales point to a strong category, data and industry leaders indicate.
“We’re still seeing an increased demand for lemons at retail, with lemon volume up 30% compared to pre-COVID season year to date, and lime demand is up 45%,” said Cassie Howard, senior director of category management and marketing at Sunkist Growers Inc. “Foodservice is continuing to regain its footing following the pandemic and inflation, and lemons are one of the most demanded items in the category.”
Both total sales and volume were up for lemons and limes for the 52 weeks ending Jan. 28, 2024, according to Circana retail scan data.
Limes rising
Fueled entirely by imports (the USDA reports no significant lime production in the U.S.), retail per capita available of limes has surged from 1.3 pounds in 2000 to 4.4 pounds in 2022.
Circana data showed that total dollar sales of limes for the 52 weeks ending Jan. 28 were $801.3 million, up 2.4% compared with the previous year. Conventional lime sales rose 2.6%, while organic lime sales were down 1.9%, according to retail scan data.
Volume sales of all limes was 398.2 million pounds for the year ending Jan. 28, up 7.6% compared with the previous year. Conventional lime volume was up 7.6%, while organic lime volume sold was up 9.1% for the period, according to Circana.
The price per pound for all limes was $2.01 for the period, a 4.8% decrease compared with year-ago numbers. Conventional limes saw a 4.6% decrease, while organic lime per unit pricing was off 10.1%, according to Circana data.
The USDA reported the average annual shipping point price for all limes in 2023 was $26.80 per carton, 17% lower than 2022’s average of $32.24 per carton but up 20% from the 2021 average shipping point price of $22.34 per carton. From January through March 2024, the average shipping point price for limes was $24.57 per carton, according to USDA numbers.
Survey says
The Packer’s Fresh Trends 2024 survey indicated 1 in 3 consumers (33%) said they purchased limes in the previous 12 months. The research revealed households with annual income over $100,000 reported the highest percentage (46%) of lime purchases.
Households with kids (36%) also reported a higher percentage of lime purchases compared to households without kids (31%).
The West region (37%) had the highest percentage of lime purchases, according to Fresh Trends 2024, while the Northeast (30%) had the lowest percentage.
Fresh Trends 2024 showed that the 50-59 (37%) and 40-49 (37%) age groups reported the highest percentages of lime purchases, while the 18-29 age group (28%) had the lowest purchase percentage.
In terms of ethnicity, Hispanic consumers (44%) reported the highest percentage of lime purchases, compared with White/Caucasian (32%), Black/African American (31%) and Asian (31%) consumers.
Lemon bright
Over the past 20 years, the USDA has reported a doubling of retail per capita availability of lemons, from 2.3 pounds in 2000 to 4.7 pounds by 2022. Imports have played an increasingly important role for the fresh lemon supply in the U.S., rising from 3% of total U.S. supply in 2000 to 26% in 2022.
Total retail lemon sales were $879.5 million for the 52-week period ending Jan. 28, according to Circana retail data, 1.5% higher than the previous year. Organic lemon sales were up 2.5% over the previous year, and conventional lemon sales were up 1.5%, according to Circana data.
Volume sales of lemons for the year ending Jan. 28 were pegged at 427.6 million pounds, up 2.6% compared with the previous year. Organic volume sales of lemons were up 3.1%, and conventional lemon volume sales were up 2.5%.
The average price per pound for all lemons for the period was $2.06, a 1% decline compared with the previous year. That same 1% decline in volume was noted for both conventional and organic lemons, according to Circana data.
The average shipping point price for lemons in 2023 was $28.06 per pound, according to the USDA. That represented a gain of 12% over 2022. From January through March 2024, the average shipping point price for lemons was $26.25 per carton, according to the USDA.
Data from The Packer’s Fresh Trends 2024 consumer survey shows that 48% of shoppers reported lemon purchases in the past year.
The survey of more than 1,100 consumers, conducted in mid-October 2023, revealed that the demographic characteristics associated with the highest self-reported percentage of lemon purchases in the past year were households with an annual income over $100,000, with kids, located in the West or South regions, as well as consumers aged 40-49 years old and those of Hispanic ethnicity.
Households with annual income over $100,000 reported the highest percentage (60%) of lemon purchases. In fact, the data shows that self-reported purchases increased with higher income levels.
Fresh Trends 2024 data shows that households with kids (50%) reported a higher percentage of lemon purchases compared to households without kids (45%).
The 40-49 age group (53%) reported the highest percentage of lemon purchases, while Fresh Trends 2024 data shows that purchase percentages were lower for younger (38% for 18-29 age group) and older (48% for 60 years or older) age groups.
Trade flow
U.S. exports of fresh lemons were rated at $134.3 million in 2023, down 12% from 2022, according to USDA trade numbers.
U.S. imports of lemons and limes (the citrus varieties are combined in USDA trade data) were rated at $1.01 billion in 2023, up 11% from $906.2 million in 2022.
Mexico is by far the top supplier for the lemon/lime citrus category, shipping $811.3 million to the U.S. in 2023, up from $739.3 million in 2022. Colombia, Argentina, Chile and Peru followed Mexico as top suppliers of the lemon/lime citrus category to the U.S., according to USDA trade numbers.
