The Produce Reporter Week in Review October 31, 2025 

This week’s review comes on a holiday, but the retail world is prepping for an even bigger one in less than a month: Thanksgiving. 

Lidl was the latest retailer to promote its holiday savings on a family turkey dinner, offering a complete meal for 10 for $36, a figure it says is the lowest-priced. Lidl US offers lowest-priced Thanksgiving dinner for less than $36 – Blue Book 

We don’t cover meat, but 25 cents-per-pound for turkey sure is a bargain for consumers. Among the produce items in the package are fresh onions, potatoes, celery, sweet potatoes, and baby carrots.  

In the previous weeks, Walmart offered a complete meal for 10 for under $40. Its turkey is a Butterball brand at 97 cents per pound, and includes fresh potatoes, cranberries, and baby carrots. Walmart’s annual Thanksgiving meal serves 10 people for less than $4 per person – Blue Book 

The Sam’s Club Thanksgiving meal promises a chef-inspired, restaurant-quality experience with under two hours of preparation time at under $100 for 10.  

In addition to smoked turkey, it offers Yukon Gold potatoes, green beans with cranberries and sliced almonds, garlic herb corn, salad, and sweet potato mash. Sam’s Club launches member-inspired, chef-crafted Thanksgiving Feast for under $100 – Blue Book 

And of course, Aldi is always in the value mix.  

Its Thanksgiving meal is under $40 for 10 people, with a Jennie-O turkey, fresh potatoes and sweet potatoes. Aldi offers a full Thanksgiving meal for $40 – Blue Book 

Lidl, Walmart, and Aldi all promote their Thanksgiving meal bundles as costing less than last year, and that’s the message consumers want to hear, especially from retail banners that tout low prices as one of their market niches. 

Banana problems 

The CEO of one of the largest banana companies in the world says we’re on the verge of the end of the era of inexpensive bananas. 

Fresh Del Monte Produce Chairman and CEO Mohammad Abu-Ghazaleh said this week that banana disease TR4 is in Ecuador, one of the largest exporting countries, and fighting it could drive smaller growers out of business. Fresh Del Monte CEO warns of more banana supply chain disruptions  – Blue Book 

That, among other supply chain problems, could lead to ripple effects that cut worldwide banana volume.  

Consumers have become accustomed to the era of inexpensive bananas, but so far, it doesn’t seem like demand has slowed as prices have steadily risen. 

The USDA reports this week that the average advertised retail price for bananas is 62 cents per pound, up from 50 cents per pound a year ago. 

Bananas are also one of the few high-volume produce department items subject to the 10 percent tariff, as their Latin American producers are not covered by the USMCA exemption. 

It could be that bananas have been such an amazing value that shifting to simply being a good value isn’t hitting consumers very hard.  

I don’t know where the price point is on bananas where consumers will pull back, but it seems like it will be higher than 62 cents per pound.  

At $1 per pound, would consumers opt for a 2-pound hand over a 3-pound hand? 

We may find out this winter. 

Pistachios in Buffalo 

During the IFPA Global Produce Show, Diana Salsa, VP of marketing at Wonderful Pistachios, said the company will sample its products when the Kansas City Chiefs visit the Bills November 2, in one of the NFL’s biggest rivalries. Wonderful Pistachios to hold sampling at NFL rivalry game  – Blue Book 

Pre-game ought to be a safe time to find some hungry and happy Bills fans interested in pistachios, as Bills quarterback Josh Allen promotes the brand. 

And if game trends hold, post-game should be good for Bills fans as well, as they’ve had the Chiefs’ number in regular-season games, winning the last four regular season games. 

Playoffs are another story, where the Chiefs have won the last four games they’ve met in January.  

As a Chiefs fan, that’s a trend I can live with.