United Fresh Reports 'Bright' Performance for Fruit, Organics and Value-Added Produce

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Fresh produce maintained sales figures from the previous year in Q3 of 2012, driven by fruits and other produce, and decreases in average retail price boosted volume sales, especially for fruit categories, according to the latest edition of FreshFacts on Retail, the quarterly retail research report of the United Fresh Foundation.

Organic and value-added fruits and vegetables continued with a strong sales performance. Though vegetables declined in overall dollar and volume sales, total produce sales and volume grew. Other produce, a category defined by products such as grains, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, dressings and beverages, increased significantly compared to the same period last year, according to the report.

Other highlights of the most recent FreshFacts include:

• Nine of the top 10 fruits posted volume increases that exceeded the same period last year.
• Avocados, specialty fruits and grapes were the primary drivers of volume growth in fruits. Cucumbers, packaged salads and mushrooms led the way in vegetables.
• Value-added fruits increased dollar and volume sales by 8.8 percent and 1.3 percent, respectively. Growth was driven primarily by the fresh cut fruit segment, which accounted for roughly three-quarters of value-added fruit dollar share.
• Value-added vegetables' growth outperformed their fruit counterparts, with a 10.2 percent increase in dollar sales and a 10.6 percent volume increase.
• Organic vegetables increased dollar sales 12.1 percent and organic fruit increased dollar sales 23 percent.

The full FreshFacts report can be found here.