In US advertising, imported stone fruit and berries are heavily featured this week, joining Florida strawberries, spring floral arrangements and potted bulb flowers, helping consumers believe that warmer weather is just around the corner.

Total ad numbers this week were 334,010, a 3% decrease from last week’s number of 342,780. The total number of ads broken out by commodity groups: fruit 185,679 (55% of all ads), onions and potatoes 26,072 (7%), vegetables 119,776 (35%), herbs 935 and ornamentals 1550. The number of ads for organic produce was 41,265, 12% of total ads.

The following are the prices of major advertised items (3,000 plus stores) this week, compared to the same week last year. Significant increases in price for fruit this week included mango at 19%, and navel oranges at 17%. Significant decreases included Gala apples and Cherries at 17%, Fuji apples at 16%, blueberries at 13%, and raspberries at 11% .

Significant increases for onions and potatoes included a 18% increase for 5 lb russet potatoes. No significant decreases for onions potatoes. Significant increases for vegetables this week included salad at 32%, and asparagus at 15%.

Significant decreases for vegetables included white mushrooms at 24%, cucumbers at 12% and round green cabbage at 11%.