Older consumers are by far the best consumers of onions, according to The Packer’s 2022 Fresh Trends research.
Fifty-seven percent of all consumers polled in the Fresh Trends research said they purchased onions in the previous 12 months.
However, Fresh Trends research indicated that 75% of consumers older than 60 purchased onions in the previous 12 months. Older consumers were more likely to purchase onions, according to the data:
By age bracket, Fresh Trends indicated the percentage of consumers who indicated they purchased onions in the previous 12 months:
- 18 to 29 years old: 34%
- 30 to 39 years old: 41%
- 40 to 49 years old: 57%
- 50 to 59 years old: 68%
- 60 and older: 75%
The income demographic did not have a big effect on onion purchases, according to Fresh Trends research.
For example, 55% of consumers earning less than $25,000 indicated they purchased onions in the previous 12 months, compared with 57% for those earning from $25,000 to $50,000 and 59% of those earning $50,000 to $100,000 and 54% of those making over $100,000.
By gender, females were the dominant purchaser of onions, with 64% indicating onion purchases in the previous 12 months, compared with 47% for males.
2022 Fresh Trends reported that 63% of families with no kids purchased onions in the previous 12 months, compared with 48% of families with kids who indicated onion purchases in the previous 12 months.
Consumers in the Northeast region were the most-frequent purchasers of onions, according to Fresh Trends, with 62% indicating onion purchases in the previous 12 months, compared with 55% of consumers in the South, 53% in the Midwest and 56% in the West.
Sixty-four percent of Asian consumers indicated onion purchases, compared with 50% for Hispanic consumers, 52% for Black shoppers and 57% for white respondents, according to Fresh Trends.
The USDA reports that per-capita availability of onions totaled 20.44 pounds in 2020, up from 19.38 pounds in 2019 but slightly less than 20.56 pounds in 2018.
