About 46% of consumers said they’ve purchased broccoli within the last 12 months, up 2% from 2021, according to The Packer’s 2022 Fresh Trends.
Those numbers are promising, considering how many consumers express concern about grocery price increases.
“In total, 42% of shoppers are extremely concerned about the price increases they are seeing across the store, which means food inflation has more people on high alert than COVID-19 as of January 2022,” according to the January 2022 primary shopper survey series by marketing research company IRI in partnership with Anne-Marie Roerink, president of 210 Analytics.
Luckily, produce is the fourth-least volatile market on Datasembly’s grocery price index, just behind alcohol, dairy (eggs) and cereal.
Still, the Midwest is the only region not experiencing broccoli price hikes that other U.S. regions are facing.
Per-bunch, crown-cut broccoli in the Northeast had an average price of $1.92 in the week ending March 4, according to the USDA’s National Retail Report. In the Southeast, the same bunch was priced at $2.69, and in the Midwest, $2.28. When compared to the same week in 2021, broccoli was $1.39, $2.45 and $2.28, respectively.
In the South Central U.S., broccoli had an average retail price of $1.74 that same week, $1.88 in the Southwest and $1.93 in the Northwest, according to the USDA. When compared to the same week in 2021, prices were $1.55, $1.54 and $1.49, respectively.
Broccoli tends to be more popular among households with an annual income between $50,000 and $100,000 with three or more dependents.
Age also played a determining role in broccoli purchases. People 60 and older are fans of this cruciferous vegetable. The biggest surprise when analyzing the Fresh Trends data was there was a 12% increase in shoppers aged 18-29 purchasing broccoli.
