Editor’s Note: The following report is from The Packer’s Fresh Trends 2023, which provides insight based on survey responses from consumers. Since 1983, The Packer has sponsored 40 major consumer studies to track trends in the purchases and consumption of fresh produce, documenting the fluctuation in purchases of specific fruits and vegetables as well as changing attitudes toward industry issues.
The Packer’s Fresh Trends 2023 survey found that 1 in 4 consumers (25%) said they purchased pears in the past year. That compares with 27% of consumers who said they purchased pears in Fresh Trends 2022 and 31% of consumers who indicated pear purchases in Fresh Trends 2021.
The USDA reports retail per capita availability of fresh pears has declined slightly in the past decade. 2011 retail per capita consumption was 3.1 pounds but dropped to 2.7 pounds by 2019.
Higher income levels correlated to higher pear consumption. Fresh Trends 2023 showed that 36% of consumers earning more than $100,000 a year said they purchased pears in the past year, compared with 18% of shoppers earning less than $25,000 annually.
By age bracket, 31% of consumers in the aged 30-39 said they purchased fresh pears, compared with 30% of consumers aged 60 and older, 20% of those consumers from ages 50-59, 21% of consumers from ages 40-49 and 18% of consumers from ages 18-29.
At 27%, white/Caucasian consumers were the most frequent purchasers of fresh pears, Fresh Trends data reveals. That compares with 22% for Black/African American consumers, 21% for Hispanic shoppers and 26% for Asian consumers.
The fob average for fresh pears was $29.96 per carton in 2022, up 6% from $28.30 per carton in 2021. The average promoted retail price for fresh pears in 2022 was 98 cents per pound, up 10% from 89 cents per pound in 2021. The number of stores promoting fresh pears in 2022 totaled 514,930, down from 588,824 in 2021, the USDA said.
