Thanksgiving retail buying alters the produce mix

In this month’s produce performance report at retail from 210 Analytics, fresh produce was up 7.5 percent during the October weeks and 10.0 percent year-to-date.

The report’s author Anne-Marie Roerink said October’s numbers were unremarkable, as it was eight months into the COVID-19 pandemic and some trends have been well established, but November will show a different story.

In a video, she explained how rising virus rates around the country are changing the retail landscape, as is the fact that just over one-quarter of consumers, 26 percent, expect to host or attend a Thanksgiving meal with family who do not live with them, down sharply from 48 percent last year.

Additionally, Roerink said, many families may opt for meats other than traditional turkey for the smaller meal, which will change the vegetable buying mix.

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