Produce / Floral

Consumers are shifting priorities when making grocery purchase decisions in the current economy, according to a new survey released by the Midwest Dairy Council. According to the April telephone survey of 1,002 people, more than half of consumers say price, not nutrition, is the most important factor when grocery shopping in this economic climate.

Fans of the Mexican beverage Jarritos can now exchange their bottle caps for prizes including music downloads, CDs, gift cards, money transfers via MoneyGram, movie tickets, T-shirts, soccer balls, jewelry, MP3 players and HDTVs through Club Jarritos, a points-under-the-caps promotion for the Jarritos, Mineragua and Jarritos Kids brands. Anyone over 13 can participate.

To get adults to consume more vegetables daily, V8 brought out V8 V-Fusion, a line of 100 percent juices employing the sweeter taste of fruit along with the veggies. Now, V8 V-Fusion, a brand of the Campbell Soup Co. of Camden, N.J., is adding two new varieties to its product line: Goji Raspberry and Passionfruit Tangerine.

According to the Organic Trade Association (OTA), which has released the results from its 2009 Organic Industry Survey, U.S. sales of organic products, both food and nonfood, reached $24.6 billion by the end of 2008, growing an impressive 17.1 percent over 2007 sales, despite tough economic times. While the overall economy has been losing ground, sales of organic products reflect very strong growth during 2008.

Midwest supercenter pioneer Meijer, Inc. has rolled out the NuVal Nutritional Scoring System in all 185 of its locations in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky.

Coca-Cola’s Fanta Orange, the top-selling fruit-flavored sparkling beverage in the United States, has tweaked its recipe so that the ingredients are now 100 percent all natural.

Snacks have taken center stage in American eating, according to the "Snack Foods Culinary Trend Mapping Report" from the Center for Culinary Development (CCD) and Packaged Facts.

Tesco-owned Fresh & Easy’s 40- to 45-ounce family-size prepared meals, introduced last month to help customers trying to feed their families on a budget, are now the six top-selling lines of the grocer’s more than 110 prepared food items.