Berries are rising to the occasion.
A check with the USDA’s Specialty Crop Retail Report the week of April 19 showed that strawberries accounted for 4% of total conventional retail produce ads, with blueberries accounting for 3% of retail conventional produce ads. Those numbers compare with 8% for apples, 7% for bell peppers, 5% for tomatoes, 4% for potatoes, grapes, oranges, grapes and mangoes and 3% for mandarins, the report said.
The USDA said strawberries accounted for 11% of organic produce promotions the week of April 19, while raspberries accounted for 4% of organic promotions. In comparison, apples accounted for 8% of organic ads, with carrots at 8%, salad at 6%, tomatoes and squash at 5% and mushrooms and mandarins at 3%.
As a percentage of total fruit ads at retail, the USDA said strawberries scored 10%, blueberries 7%, and blackberries 5% on April 19.
Streaking strawberries
Retailers promoting a 1-pound package of strawberries totaled 7,509 stores on April 19, up nearly 300% from the same time a year ago. The average advertised price for the 1-pound package was $2.98, down 9% from $3.27 a year ago.
The USDA reported that total strawberry supply for the week of April 14-20 was running well above year-ago levels, with total shipments of 5.6 million 12-pound trays, up 11% from 5.03 million trays a year ago. Organic strawberries accounted for 3.7% of total strawberry volume, according to USDA data.
Central California strawberries accounted for 44% of total strawberry supplies in mid-April, up from 19% at the same time a year ago. Other regions supplying the U.S. market in mid-April included Southern California (35%), Mexico (18%) and North Carolina (1%).
Season-to-date shipments of strawberries were way up for both central California and Southern California.
Through April 20, central California strawberry shipments totaled 7.54 million 12-pound trays, up 277% from 2 million trays at the same time a year ago. Southern California strawberry shipments through April 20 totaled 24.3 million, up 41% from 17.7 million trays at the same time a year ago.
The average shipping point price for strawberries for April 20 was $15.68 per tray, down down 18% from $19.09 per tray on April 15 in 2023.
Blueberries busting out
The USDA reported that 5,820 retailers were promoting 6-ounce packages of blueberries on April 19, up 6% from a year ago. The average promoted price was $2.69, up 10% from the same week last year.
Supplies of blueberries in mid-April were off slightly compared with the same time a year ago, with the USDA reporting a total supply of 15.5 million pounds, off 15% compared with the same time a year ago. Organic blueberry supplies totaled 15% of total blueberry supplies for the week of April 14-20.
Leading domestic and foreign suppliers of blueberries in mid-April included Mexico (56% of total supply), Florida (19%), Georgia (11%) and Peru (9%).
The average shipping point price for blueberries on April 20 was $28.20 per carton, down from $30.08 per carton the same time a year ago.
Raspberries and blackberries
Retail promotions of 6-ounce packages of raspberries totaled 4,429 stores on April 19, with an average price of $2.81. The USDA did not have data for raspberry promotions for the same week a year ago.
Raspberry shipments reported by the USDA totaled 7.12 million pounds in mid-April, down 11% from the same week a year ago.
Retail promotions of blackberries in 6-ounce packages on April 19 totaled 5,840 stores, up 6% from 5,492 stores promoting blackberries the same time a year ago. The average promoted price for blackberries on April 19 was $2.69 per package, up 10% from the same time a year ago.
The average shipping point price for blackberries in April 2024 was $12.97 per carton, down from $17.89 per carton at the same time a year ago.
