Price is No. 1 factor in produce purchasing decisions, FMI reports

ORLANDO, FLA. – FMI—the Food Industry Association today released its 2022 Power of Produce report, revealing that 25% of shoppers ranked price as the most important factor when making fresh produce purchasing decisions.

This comes at a time when 82% of consumers say they have noticed higher fruit and vegetable prices, and 92% of consumers indicate they have made changes to their purchasing habits as a result, said Anne-Marie Roerink, principal and founder of 210 Analytics. Roerink spoke on the topic during a March 4 Power of Produce educational session at the Southeast Produce Council’s 2022 Southern Exposure tradeshow and conference in Orlando, Fla.

"In the past, the clear No. 1 factor when buying fresh produce was appearance and quality,” Rick Stein, vice president of fresh foods for FMI, said in a news release. “However, this year's survey showed that item price is now the No. 1 factor produce consumers consider — on par with appearance [19%] and quality.” Health benefits (19%) and ripeness (15%) rounded out the top considerations for consumers when making produce purchases.

“In addition to price, consumers are focusing on items with prolonged shelf-life, buying less or finding substitutes,” Stein said. “At the same time, we see more shoppers concentrate on health and well-being when making fresh-produce purchasing decisions and a strong desire for convenience.”  

The 2022 Power of Produce report, conducted by 210 Analytics and made possible by Yerecic Label, Invafresh and SEPC, further revealed these top findings:

• Shoppers link produce to health benefits. For most consumers (96%), shopping the produce aisle is considered an investment in personal health and well-being, says FMI. Consumers increasingly associate fresh produce with digestive health, weight management and disease management, with six out of 10 shoppers purchasing fruits and vegetables to deliver on specific health benefits.
• Consumers crave convenience. From precut and prewashed options to grab-and-go and ready-to-serve solutions, convenience remains the top value-add for produce shoppers, finds the report, which reveals that nearly half of shoppers frequently purchase convenient vegetable (45%) and fruit (48%) solutions.
• This popularity among consumers led to value-added fruits and vegetables making up 14.4% of total fresh product sales in 2021, according to FMI. The share of shoppers expecting to purchase more value-added produce remains high at 27%, while only 5% anticipate they will purchase less. 
• Locally grown outperforms all other attributes. Fifty-six percent of consumers say they want their produce department to carry more fruits and vegetables that are locally grown, followed by grown in the USA (54%), notes FMI.

Check out FMI’s Power of Produce 2022 video here.