Editor’s note: The following report is from The Packer’s Fresh Trends 2024, which provides insight based on survey responses from consumers. Since 1983, The Packer has sponsored 41 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.
By a slim margin over apples, bananas top the list of most-purchased produce commodities, according to data from The Packer’s Fresh Trends 2024 consumer survey.
Surveyed in October 2023, more than 1,100 consumers were asked what fresh fruit and vegetable items they purchased in the previous 12 months.
Eighty-two percent of consumers surveyed said they purchased bananas, compared with 78% who indicated apple purchases and 64% reporting they bought tomatoes in the previous 12 months. Other widely purchased commodities, according to Fresh Trends 2024, were grapes (63%), carrots (61%), potatoes (60%), onions (60%), strawberries (60%) and bell peppers (58%).
Fresh Trends 2024 results indicated that the produce commodities with the fewest consumers reporting purchases included pluots (3%), specialty mushrooms (9%), artichokes (10%), sprouts (10%), papayas (10%) and pomegranates (10%).
By the percentage of those reporting purchases, here is the complete list of commodities named by Fresh Trends 2024 consumers surveyed when asked, “Which of the following produce items have you purchased fresh (not frozen, canned or dried) in the past 12 months?”
- Bananas — 82%
- Apples — 78%
- Tomatoes — 64%
- Grapes — 63%
- Carrots — 61%
- Potatoes — 60%
- Onions — 60%
- Strawberries — 60%
- Bell peppers — 58%
- Blueberries — 54%
- Broccoli — 53%
- Cucumbers — 52%
- Avocados — 51%
- Watermelon — 51%
- Oranges — 49%
- Lemons — 47%
- Celery — 43%
- Garlic — 42%
- Lettuce — 42%
- (bulk, not washed and packaged)
- Salad mix — 40%
- (washed and prepackaged)
- Corn on the cob (sweet corn) — 39%
- Mushrooms — 39%
- Pineapple — 38%
- Cherries — 37%
- Peaches — 37%
- Cabbage — 37%
- Asparagus — 37%
- Spinach — 36%
- Green beans — 35%
- Sweetpotatoes — 34%
- Limes — 33%
- Blackberries — 33%
- Cauliflower — 33%
- Cantaloupe — 33%
- Green onion — 31%
- Raspberries — 28%
- Pears — 27%
- Clementines/mandarins — 26%
- Mangoes — 25%
- Brussels sprouts — 23%
- Specialty peppers — 23%
- (includes cayenne, poblano, jalapeno, Anaheim, habanero)
- Plums — 21%
- Squash — 20%
- Honeydew — 19%
- Kiwifruit — 18%
- Nectarines — 17%
- Grapefruit — 17%
- Eggplant — 16%
- Kale — 16%
- Radishes — 13%
- Beets — 13%
- Cranberries — 12%
- Apricots — 12%
- Asian pears — 11%
- Pomegranates — 10%
- Papayas — 10%
- Sprouts — 10%
- Artichokes — 10%
- Specialty mushrooms — 9%
- (such as enoki, morel, oyster, portabellas and shiitake)
- Pluots — 3%
Asked to estimate how much more they were spending compared with a year ago, most Fresh Trends 2024 respondents, or 55%, estimated they were paying 1% to 24% more than a year ago. Thirty-four percent estimated they were paying 25% to 49% more, 9% estimated they were paying 50% to 75% more and 2% indicated they were paying more than 75% for fresh produce than the previous year.
On the flip side, when asked what, if any, produce items shoppers were buying more of because of inflation, Fresh Trends 2024 respondents were given the following list and indicated:
- None — 44%
- Potatoes — 30%
- Bananas — 32%
- Apples — 23%
- Other — 4%
Where are consumers shopping and how much are they buying?
Inflation also has impacted where and how consumers shop for fresh produce.
Asked if higher inflation at the grocery store has changed where they shop, while 42% of Fresh Trends 2024 respondents indicated no change in where they shopped, 12% said higher food inflation drove them to shop a lower-priced retailer. Additionally, 46% indicated they spent more time comparing prices between grocers to find deals.
And again, while more than half of consumers, or 55%, said higher prices did not make them buy less fresh produce, 45% of Fresh Trends 2024 participants reported reducing their fresh produce consumption because of inflation.
Fresh Trends 2024 consumers polled were asked, “Considering higher inflation, I estimate my consumption of fresh produce this year has …” and answered:
- Stayed about the same or increased — 55%
- Declined by 10% — 26%
- Declined by 20% — 14%
- Declined by 30% or more — 5%
