Finishing Strong: Value-added produce shines in 2012 fourth quarter

摘要

A strong retail performance for produce in the fourth quarter of 2012 was led by fruit, according to the United Fresh Foundation's "FreshFacts on Retail" report. Value-added fruit and vegetables helped fuel the overall strong performance. Compared tothe fourthquarter of 2011, value-added fruit racked up double-digit percentage growth while value-added vegetables enjoyed good growth in dollar volume and sales growth. Packaged salads saw growth as well. They are considered an independent category within the produce department and are included in the report's Top 10 vegetables section. Packaged salads were number one, with weekly dollar sales per store at $2,827, 4.3 percent higher than the fourth quarter of 2011. Weekly volume per store averaged 1,085 pounds or units, an increase of 3.8 percent. The average retail price was $2.61 per package, up 0.5 percent. Packaged salads joined pumpkins as the only Top 10 vegetable products to increase in dollar sales.