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.
Onion consumption has been on an upswing.
Per capita retail availability of onions increased from 18 pounds in 2011 to 19.2 pounds in 2019, according to USDA statistics.
The Packer’s Fresh Trends 2023 indicated that 59% of all consumers said they purchased onions in the past year, up from 57% in Fresh Trends 2022 and about the same as 60% in Fresh Trends 2021.
Income levels didn’t appear to have a big effect on onion purchases, as Fresh Trends 2023 found that 56% of consumers earning less than $25,000 a year purchased onions in the past year. That is the same percentage as consumers making more than $100,000 annually.
Onion prices were higher in 2022, USDA statistics show.
The average fob price for onions in 2022 was $18.78 per carton, up 48% from $12.67 per carton in 2021.
Likewise, the average retail promoted price for onions was $1.04 per unit in 2022, up 16% from 90 cents per unit in 2021, the USDA said. The number of retail stores promoting onions totaled 1.02 million stores in 2022, down 13% from 1.16 million stores in 2021.
Older consumers are generally more frequent buyers of onions. Fresh Trends 2023 found that 69% of consumers aged 60 and older said they purchased onions in the past year. That compares with 70% of those consumers aged 50-59 years, 57% for consumers 40-49 years old, 50% for those 30-39 years old and 46% of consumers from 18-29 years old.
Consumers with no kids at home were more likely to purchase fresh onions, according to Fresh Trends 2023. Sixty-four percent of consumers with no kids at home said they purchased onions, compared with 51% of consumers with kids at home.
