Americans Continuing To Eat Their Fruits And Vegetables

Nevin Barich

Nevin Barich

LOS ANGELES , November 14, 2017 () – Want a stock tip? Here’s one: Invest in produce.

Various reports have come out recently that echo the same sentiment: People are continuing to eat fresh fruits and vegetables, and consumption isn’t going down anytime soon.

According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average American consumed 3.5 more pounds of fresh fruit last year than the year before. The per capita annual increase in 2016 was about 3% and primarily came from more lemons, limes, mangoes and blueberries being consumed.

Also, a recent report from Nielsen stated that the overall U.S. produce department grew by $13.2 billion during the 2012-2016 period. Within that time period, branded produce dollar share increased 7.7 percentage points and now represents 38.5% of total produce dollars. The report also said that branded produce has found a sweet spot in the produce snacking category. Representing a $1.1 billion market, branded produce snacks represent 72% dollar share of the total produce snack category, amounting to $44 million in growth from the previous year.

And then there’s the organics side. According to the Organic Produce Network (OPN), organic fresh produce sales reached $1.16 billion for the third quarter of 2017, an 8% increase in dollars and a 10% rise in volume from the previous year. Partnering with Nielsen, OPN’s review of third quarter organic fresh produce sales at retail stores across the country shows dollar sales of organic fresh vegetables were $576 million while organic fresh fruit sales were $408 million. The remaining $173 million organic fresh sales are “other produce items,” which include organic herbs/seasonings, beverages and dressings. Collectively, organic fresh fruits and vegetables represented 10.2% of all produce dollars at the end of the third quarter.

“The dollar gains we are seeing across the board can be directly attributed to the growing demand for transparent products across the store,” said Matt Lally, client manager for Nielsen Fresh. “Beyond this, the increasing availability and supply are also positively impacting sales.” 

For U.S. produce, consumption remains onward and upward.

Nevin Barich is the Food and Beverage Analyst for Industry Intelligence and is also Menuism’s fast food expert. Email him at Nevin.Barich@IndustryIntel.com or follow him on Twitter.

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