Fresh Trends 2023: More than half of consumers bought strawberries last year

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 showed that 52% of all consumers said they purchased fresh strawberries in the past year, down from 56% in Fresh Trends 2022 and down from 58% in Fresh Trends 2021.

While blueberry and raspberry consumption has been rising, strawberry consumption dropped slightly over the last decade. Retail per capita availability of strawberries dropped from 6.8 pounds in 2011 to 5.3 pounds in 2019, a decline of 22%.

Strawberry prices were stable in 2022.

The average fob price for strawberries in 2022 was $16.71 per carton, down 3% from $17.18 per carton in 2021.

The advertised retail price for strawberries in 2022 was $2.11 per unit, up 5% from $2.01 per unit in 2021.

The number of stores promoting strawberries in 2022 totaled 833,592, down 4% from 867,040 in 2021.

Older consumers were the most frequent purchasers of fresh strawberries, according to Fresh Trends 2023. Fifty-eight percent of consumers aged 60 and older reported strawberry purchases, compared with 44% of those 18-29 years old.

At 55%, white/Caucasian consumers were the most frequent buyers of strawberries. That compares with 39% for Black/African American shoppers, 53% for Hispanic shoppers and 45% for Asian consumers.