Bag vs. Bulk is on the Rise

BY ff Fox Packaging | April 05, 2022

Over the past several years we have seen a very defined shift toward more flexible packaging purchases from our fresh produce customers. That trend accelerated even more with COVID-19 spurring both a concern for product safety and a desire to minimize trips to the store, which necessitated larger purchases per trip. Bags became the solution to address both of those concerns.

In recent months, we've seen several news articles highlighting specific data points on bagged produce sales that we thought worthy of sharing here. A March 2022 Produce News article highlighted some interesting Nielsen IQ data shared by CMI Orchards.

They reported that "since 2017, bag vs. bulk sales in the conventional category have seen a 28 percent change toward bagged commodities, with a 51 percent swing in the organic category. Overall volume has seen bagged volume grow from 34 percent in 2017 to 44 percent in 2021." They went on to note that since not all retailers report data, it is likely an even larger swing toward bagged volume.

Danelle Huber, marketing specialist at CMI, shared these reasons for shoppers' growing interest in bagged commodities:

Security from food contacts
More flexibility with fruit sizing
More environmentally-friendly bag options

In February of this year, a Produce Business article sharing insights from several notable apple growers also underscored the trend toward more packaged apples. Brianna Shales, marketing director for Stemilt Growers, was quoted as saying that since the onset of the pandemic, apple sales have shifted to being about 40% packaged and 60% bulk on average.

Similarly, a 2021 Hass Avocado Board study found that bagged avocado purchases increased at three times the rate of bulk between 2016 and 2019.

As this trend continues, Fox Packaging wants to help our customers maximize sales with a wide range of sustainable, flexible packaging solutions that prolong shelf-life and help your products stand out on the store shelf.