What is the annual consumer “spend” on fresh produce? That number, organized by age, income, education level, race, and more is available from the Consumer Expenditures data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Of course, the data includes more than just fresh produce, but numbers on all food, housing, transportation, health care, donations, education, entertainment, et cetera.
New data was just published, and the report said average expenditures per consumer unit for July 2018 through June 2019 were up 2.7% compared with July 2017 through June 2018 midyear average.
The report said the 6.9% rise in transportation spending was the largest percentage increase among all major components, followed by a 6.5% rise in personal insurance and pensions expenditures.
Spending on food increased by 1.2%, according to the report. This increase was driven by food at home which increased by 2%; food away from home only increased slightly, by 0.3%.
How much will these numbers change in 2020? Food at-home spending will be way up, no doubt, but how will the numbers reflect at-home spending for produce compared with processed fruits and vegetables? Stay tuned.
Here are some charts that illustrate fresh produce spending by age and income, in the context of processed fruits and vegetables.
