overview
ERS has calculated total pounds or pints purchased at retail, total dollars spent, average retail price, serving size, servings per pound or pint, and dollars per serving for each form of 57 fruits and vegetables in How Much Do Americans Pay for Fruits and Vegetables? The collection of spreadsheets below contain all the data used in the report and are presented here to show exactly how ERS arrived at the costs per serving figures. Each table also includes a short narrative that complements the statistics for each fruit and vegetable, detailing the nutritional benefits of each fruit and vegetable and divulging little known facts (or trivia) as well. This information should provide users with a clearer understanding of the costs of produce, the nutrient density of most fruits and vegetables, and their contributions to a healthy diet.

data files

	Fruits	Vegetables
	• Apples • Apricots • Avocados • Bananas • Blackberries • Blueberries • Cantaloupe • Cherries • Cranberries • Figs • Grapefruit • Grapes • Honeydew • Kiwi • Mangoes • Nectarines • Oranges • Papaya • Peaches • Pears • Pineapple • Plums • Raspberries • Strawberries • Tangelos • Tangerines • Watermelon All fruits in one file	• Asparagus • Green beans • Beets • Broccoli • Brussels sprouts • Cabbage • Carrots • Cauliflower • Celery • Collard greens • Corn • Cucumbers • Eggplant • Kale • Iceberg lettuce • Romaine lettuce • Red and green leaf lettuce • Mushrooms • Mustard greens • Okra • Onions • Green peas • Bell peppers • Potatoes • Radishes • Spinach • Summer squash • Sweetpotatoes • Tomatoes • Turnip greens All vegetables in one file

release date
Data were released August 2004. The data source, ACNielsen Homescan, is 1999 household food purchases from all types of retail outlets.

feature
How Much Do Americans Pay for Fruits and Vegetables?—Americans do not consume recommended levels of fruits and vegetables. One argument is that they are expensive, especially when purchased fresh. This analysis uses ACNielsen Homescan data on 1999 household food purchases from all types of retail outlets to estimate an annual retail price per pound for 69 forms of fruits and 85 forms of vegetables. Since many fruits and vegetables contain much that is nonedible in the purchase weight, cost per pound might not be a good indicator of cost per amount consumed. Therefore, this analysis also estimated the number of servings per pound of purchased item after excluding all parts of the fruits and vegetables not usually eaten. According to this formula, consumers can meet the recommendations of three servings of fruits and four servings of vegetables daily for 64 cents.

related resources

• A Workshop on the Use of Scanner Data in Policy Analysis—In June 2003, the Economic Research Service and the Farm Foundation conducted a workshop on use of household scanner data in food policy analysis. The workshop provided a forum for participants to discuss strategies in using scanner data.
• Fruit and Tree Nuts briefing room
• Vegetables and Melons briefing room
• Food Consumption (per capita) data system

for more information, contact: Jane Reed
web administration: webadmin@ers.usda.gov
page updated: August 6, 2004