Unlike potatoes, most onions are sold in bulk rather than bags or clamshell containers. However, sales of onion consumer packs have skyrocketed since the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
During the pandemic, “consumer packs exploded,” said Jeff Brechler, salesman for Little Bear Produce, Edinburg, Texas. “It was a grab-and-go situation.”
Prior to COVID-19, about 15% of the company’s onions were packaged, now that figure is about 30%, he said.
Consumer packs offer convenience for shoppers who don’t want to pore over a large display to find the onions they want, and UPC codes ensure the correct ring at checkout, especially for premium sweet varieties.
Consumers also realize that the smaller onions that go into consumer-size packs are more recipe friendly, Brechler said.
“With folks concerned more about food waste, I think it’s resonating more that medium or small jumbos are where it’s at is as far as cooking,” he said.
Besides adding convenience for shoppers, consumer packs help extend shelf life, said Jed Murray, director of government relations for the Mission-based Texas International Produce Association.
“These smaller, prepackaged onions are attractive to shoppers who want an easy-to-use and hygienic option at the grocery store,” he said.
The situation is different for foodservice, though.
“While consumer packs are gaining popularity in retail, bulk onions remain essential for foodservice customers, such as restaurants and commercial kitchens,” Murray said.
Most of the onions from The Onion House LLC, Weslaco, Texas, are sold in 50- and 25-pound bags, said owner Lance Neuhaus. But the company has been selling more 2-, 3- and 5-pound consumer packs since the pandemic hit.
The Onion House has switched to automatic weighing and bagging machines for large-size bags as well as consumer packs, he said, all of which are recyclable.
“The new equipment enables us to be more efficient and to handle more volume,” Neuhaus said.
Yakima, Wash.-based Kwik Lok Corp. encourages the onion and potato industries to take advantage of closure labels for their consumer bags.
Closure labels can help packers comply with government tracking requirements that can help ensure food safety, and they can serve as an effective marketing tool, said Karen Reed, global marketing director.
“Growers and packers can create highly tailored customer experiences sharing unique information that they want the customer to know about their product and brand, such as where the product was grown, information about the farmer and recipe ideas for how to use potatoes or onions,” she said.
There’s a lot of talk about sustainability among retailers and consumers when it comes to packaging, said Brechler of Little Bear Produce. But that talk doesn’t always result in action.
“I don’t think they’re ready for the price tag that comes along with the demand,” he said.
Sustainable packaging is much more expensive than conventional materials, he said. However, demand has been increasing for reusable plastic containers.
“They’re considered to be more on the sustainable side,” Brechler said.
