narratives: 12

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rowid	report_date	title	narrative
12	2026-02-13	Weekly Grocery Store Specialty Crops Feature Activity	Sweet Sales Retailers were extra sweet this week as they treated shoppers to colorful displays of sweet and savory delights and glorious arrays of floral arrangements. Valentine's favorites like raspberries, strawberries, asparagus, and grapes were abundant. Roses and tulips were the most advertised floral items, though spring bulbs, gladiolas, and chrysanthemums contributed to the notably large number of ads for ornamentals this week. Avocado ad numbers dropped sharply after the Super Bowl frenzy. Chinese New Year promotions brought pomegranates and persimmons back into flyers. Mardi Gras ads featured ads for onions, green bell peppers, and celery, along with King Cakes. Total ad numbers this week were 295,799, a 6% increase from last week's total of 279,167. The total for the same week last year was 3% lower at 286,859. The total number of ads broken out by commodity groups: fruit 156,468 (53%), onions and potatoes 24,649 (8%), vegetables 94,725 (32%), herbs 1,089, ornamentals 17,626 (6%), hemp 198, and honey 2,133. The number of ads for organic produce was 34,545, 12% of total ads. The following are the prices of major advertised items (3,000 plus ads) this week, compared to the same week last year. Significant increases in price for fruit this week included only strawberries (1 lb. package) at 12%. Significant decreases included red seedless grapes (per lb.) at 22%, avocados (each) at 19%, and Pink Lady apples (3 lb. bag) at 13%. There were no significant changes in price for potatoes and onions this week. Significant increases in price for vegetables included only mixed mini sweet peppers (1 lb. package) at 12%. There were no significant decreases.