Report Summary
Providing the most comprehensive and up-to-date information and analysis of the US Fruit Consumer market including the behaviors, preferences, and habits of the consumer.
Half of all consumers struggle to get enough fruit into their diet, which indicates that the interest in fruit is there, but that there is something of a disconnect between fruit options available and interested consumers. A greater diversity of fruit types could inspire greater engagement, and the shift to online ordering of produce could present brands and growers with the opportunity to establish a more direct-to-consumer strategy and offer a greater degree of selection. At the same time, brands could use such measures to reassure consumers of the safety of their supply chain and of the quality of their home-delivered fruit.
The category will not match its 2020 sales growth of 12%, but the fresh segment, in particular, is maintaining the sales momentum gained during the pandemic year, as consumer interest in eating healthier persists. The pre-packaged segments face considerable sales declines in 2021, but innovation and messaging in the segments are seeking to leverage snacking (among frozen fruit) and to assuage concerns about processed canned foods.
As consumer behaviors slowly return post-COVID, the threat to the fruit category is a return to behaviors where fruit struggles to resonate. The interest in on-the-go snacking, for instance, should be an area of opportunity for fresh fruit, which is the original snack – and a nutritious one, at that.
Wellness continues to be a key driver among consumers, and not solely personal wellness, but that of the planet and the growers and farmers that comprise key portions of the supply chain. Consumers regard fruit as generally healthy, but brands/growers could do more to assure them that they are treating workers fairly and maintaining environmental sustainability.
Read on to discover more about the US Fruit consumer market, read our Fruit: Incl Impact of COVID-19 – US – August 2020, or take a look at our other Food And Foodservice research reports.
Quickly understand
- The impact of COVID-19 on consumer behavior and the fruit category.
- Drivers of fruit purchase.
- Attitudes toward fruit.
- Fruit market research and fruit industry trends.
- Produce purchase factors and locations.
Covered in this report
Brands include: Dole, Sunsweet, Ocean Spray, Bard Valley, California Walnuts, Del Monte, Sun-Maid Growers, Jasper Wyman & Son, Blendtopia, Smart Harvest.
This report does not include vegetables, which are included in US Vegetables Market Report 2021.
Expert analysis from a specialist in the field
This report, written by Billy Roberts, a leading analyst in the Food and Drink sector, delivers in-depth commentary and analysis to highlight current trends and add expert context to the numbers.
The fruit category is poised to maintain much of the sales momentum it gained over the course of the pandemic, particularly the fresh segment. Fresh fruit is unique in that it is perceived as inherently healthy and is the original in grab-and-go convenience, and it dominates category sales, controlling 90% of the $46 billion market. Frozen fruit options have begun to lean into their snackable potential, even as consumers express a keen interest in increasing their fruit consumption. Throughout the category, brands have the opportunity to leverage the inherent nutritional benefits that consumers associate with fruit, though messaging to younger consumers should focus on those benefits to increase their engagement in the category.
Table of Contents
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Overview
- What you need to know
- Key issues covered in this Report
- Definition
- Economic and other assumptions
- COVID-19: US context
- What you need to know
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Executive Summary
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- Top takeaways
- Market overview
- Figure 1: Total US sales and fan chart forecast of fruit, at current prices, 2016-26
- Figure 2: Total US sales and forecast of fruit, at current prices, 2016-26
- Impact of COVID-19 on fruit
- Figure 3: Short-, medium- and long-term impact of COVID-19 on fruit, 2021
- Opportunities and challenges
- Expand usage through functional fruit options
- Figure 4: Consumers’ struggle to eat enough fruit, 2021
- Sustainable/ethical practices resonate with young adults
- Figure 5: Consumer attitudes toward fruit growers, 2021
- Connect with consumers online
- Figure 6: Produce purchases online from retailers, by select demographics, 2021
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The Market – Key Takeaways
- Category sales slow as consumers reemerge
- Frozen/canned sales slip back to 2019 levels
- Fruit as a healthy convenience
- Category sales slow as consumers reemerge
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Market Size and Forecast
- Slowing category hangs on to some gains
- Figure 7: Total US sales and fan chart forecast of fruit, at current prices, 2016-26
- Figure 8: Total US sales and forecast of fruit, at current prices, 2016-26
- Slowing category hangs on to some gains
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Segment Performance
- Fresh maintains market share lead, as canned/frozen dip behind 2019 performances
- Figure 9: Sales of fruit, by segment, 2016-26
- Supermarkets maintain pandemic momentum
- Figure 10: Total US retail sales of fruit, by channel, at current prices, 2016-21
- Fresh maintains market share lead, as canned/frozen dip behind 2019 performances
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Market Factors
- Price volatility challenges the fruit category
- Figure 11: Consumer price index, % change in fruit prices
- Pandemic inspires consumers to address health, finally
- Figure 12: Prevalence of Obesity and Severe Obesity Among Adults, US, 1999–2018
- Population shifts indicate a need to target younger adults
- Figure 13: US Population by generation, 2015–25
- Price volatility challenges the fruit category
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Companies and Brands – Key Takeaways
- Amid a pandemic, consumers turn to a diversity of fruit brands
- Frozen snacks grow to include fruit
- Amid a pandemic, consumers turn to a diversity of fruit brands
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Market Share
- Dole extends lead among major brands, but private label dominates
- Sales of fruit by company
- Figure 14: Sales of fruit, by company, 2020 and 2021
- Figure 15: Multi-outlet sales of fruit, by leading companies, rolling 52 weeks 2020 and 2021
- Dole extends lead among major brands, but private label dominates
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Competitive Strategies
- Supermarkets, online retailers boost fruit options
- Figure 16: Fruit introductions in the US, by store type, by storage type, 2019-21
- Smoothie kits for specialty diets, detox, immunity
- Fruit enters the realm of functional
- Non-fresh brands targeting specific snack occasions
- Private label innovation shows no signs of stopping
- Figure 17: US fruit introductions, by private label, 2017-21
- Supermarkets, online retailers boost fruit options
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Market Opportunities
- Tap into the functional trend
- Figure 18: Interest in fruit innovation, by age, 2021
- Create new occasions with inspiration
- Figure 19: Consumers’ struggle to eat enough fruit, 2021
- Connect with young adults through tech and ethics
- Figure 20: Interest in fruit brand ethics, by age, 2021
- Strengthen online purchase perceptions and programs
- Figure 21: Produce purchases online from retailers, by select demographics, 2021
- Tap into the functional trend
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The Consumer – Key Takeaways
- Fresh continues to dominate
- Lean into broader sense of health – for the mind and soul
- Freshness and wellness driving purchase choice
- Consumers turn to supermarkets for fruit
- Take fruit beyond the snack
- Fresh continues to dominate
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Fruit Consumption
- Fresh fruit consumption continues to dominate
- Figure 22: Fruit consumption, 2021
- Meet contemporary nutritional needs to inspire young adults
- Figure 23: Fruit consumption, by age, 2021
- Parents seek healthy hacks in processed fruit
- Figure 24: Fruit consumption, by parental status, by gender, 2021
- Fruit type consumption in need of disruption
- Figure 25: Repertoire Analysis – Fruit consumption, 2021
- Fresh fruit consumption continues to dominate
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Interest in Fruit Innovation
- Home in on healthy – both for the planet and individually
- Figure 26: Interest in fruit innovation, 2021
- Value-added health perks draw young adults
- Figure 27: Interest in modified fruit innovation, by age, 2021
- Home in on healthy – both for the planet and individually
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Produce Purchase Factors
- Fundamentals, freshness and price, drive choice
- Figure 28: Fruit purchase factors, 2021
- Is freshness losing its influence with young adults?
- Figure 29: Fruit purchase factors, by age, 2021
- Weigh price and freshness heavily in product development
- Figure 30: TURF Analysis – produce purchase factors, 2021
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- Figure 31: Table – TURF Analysis – produce purchase factors, 2021
- Fundamentals, freshness and price, drive choice
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Produce Purchase Location
- Supermarkets top the options for produce purchase
- Figure 32: Produce purchase location, 2021
- Parents prime to keep online produce shopping alive
- Figure 33: Produce purchase online, by select demographics, 2021
- Supermarkets top the options for produce purchase
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Attitudes toward Fruit
- Boost usage occasions with a broadening message
- Figure 34: Concerns about fruit, 2021
- Expand fruit occasions into and beyond snacking
- Figure 35: Attitudes toward fruit purchase, 2021
- Engage with younger people to boost their engagement with fruit
- Figure 36: Concerns about fruit, any agree, by age and parental status, 2021
- Lean into brands’ resonance in packaged foods
- Figure 37: Opinions of branded fruit, by fruit consumption, 2021
- Boost usage occasions with a broadening message
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Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
- Data sources
- Sales data
- Forecast
- Consumer survey data
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Data sources
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Appendix – The Market
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- Figure 38: Total US retail sales and forecast of fruit, at current prices, 2016-26
- Figure 39: Total US retail sales and forecast of fruit, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2016-26
- Figure 40: Total US retail sales and forecast of fruit, by segment, at current prices, 2016-26
- Figure 41: Total US retail sales of fruit, by segment, at current prices, 2019 and 2021
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- Figure 42: Total US retail sales and forecast of fresh fruit, at current prices, 2016-26
- Figure 43: Total US retail sales and forecast of fresh fruit, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2016-26
- Figure 44: Total US retail sales and forecast of canned/jarred fruit, at current prices, 2016-26
- Figure 45: Total US retail sales and forecast of canned/jarred fruit, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2016-26
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- Figure 46: Total US retail sales and forecast of frozen fruit, at current prices, 2016-26
- Figure 47: Total US retail sales and forecast of frozen fruit, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2016-26
- Figure 48: Total US retail sales and forecast of dried fruit, at current prices, 2016-26
- Figure 49: Total US retail sales and forecast of dried fruit, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2016-26
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Appendix – Companies and Brands
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- Figure 50: Multi-outlet sales of fruit, by leading companies, rolling 52 weeks 2020 and 2021
- Figure 51: Multi-outlet sales of canned/jarred fruit, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2020 and 2021
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- Figure 52: Multi-outlet sales of frozen fruit, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2020 and 2021
- Figure 53: Multi-outlet sales of dried fruit, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2020 and 2021
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Appendix – Consumer
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- Figure 54: Average household spending on fruit, 2016-21
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Appendix – Retail Channels
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- Figure 55: Multi-outlet sales of canned/jarred fruit, by value and volume, 2016-20
- Figure 56: Multi-outlet sales of frozen fruit, by value and volume, 2016-20
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- Figure 57: Multi-outlet sales of dried fruit, by value and volume, 2016-20
- Figure 58: Total US retail sales of fruit, by channel, at current prices, 2016-21
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- Figure 59: Total US retail sales of fruit, by channel, at current prices, 2019 and 2021
- Figure 60: US supermarket sales of fruit, at current prices, 2016-21
- Figure 61: US sales of fruit through other retail channels, at current prices, 2016-21
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Appendix – TURF Methodology
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- Figure 62: TURF Analysis – produce purchase factors, March 2021
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- Figure 63: Table – TURF Analysis – produce purchase factors, March 2021
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