ARLINGTON, VA - Consumer trends and behaviors can be hard to pin down, luckily, FMI - The Food Industry Association has recently released its 2022 Power of Produce report, which the Southeast Produce Council (SEPC) presented at its Southern Exposure 2022 conference. Naming price as the number one factor when purchasing fresh produce, the report also outlined other key insights for retailers to keep in mind as they stock their shelves.

“In the past, the clear number one factor when buying fresh produce was appearance and quality,” said Rick Stein, Vice President of Fresh Foods for FMI. “However, this year’s survey showed that item price is now the number one factor produce consumers consider—on par with appearance and quality. In addition to price, consumers are focusing on items with prolonged shelf-life, buying less, or finding substitutes. At the same time, we see more shoppers concentrate on health and well-being when making fresh produce purchasing decisions and a strong desire for convenience.”

As Stein points out, the report found that 25 percent of shoppers ranked price as the number one factor when making fresh produce purchasing decisions, this was followed closely by 19 percent that found appearance as key when adding produce to their baskets. Tied with appearance, health benefits were also of vital importance to 19 percent of consumers and ripeness for 15 percent.

Noted in the report, 96 percent of shoppers consider fresh produce an investment in personal health and well-being. Increasingly, consumers are associating fruits and veggies with digestive health, weight management, and disease management, with one-third of shoppers who focus on health and nutrition seeing fresh produce as a central player in their diet.

Convenience was also king, as nearly half of shoppers frequently purchase convenient vegetable and fruit solutions. From pre-cut to pre-washed options, value-added fruits and veggies made up 14.4 percent of total fresh sales in 2021. The share of consumers expected to purchase more value-added produce remains at 27 percent, while only 5 percent anticipate they will buy less.

Additionally, the report revealed that 56 percent of consumers say they want their produce department to carry more locally grown fruits and vegetables, and 54 percent say they want produce grown in the United States.

FMI’s 2022 Power of Produce report was conducted by 210 Analytics and was made possible by SEPC, Invafresh, and Yerecic Label. To read it in its entirety, click here.

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Southeast Produce Council