How much for a tomato, and why
Derek Neary
Northern News Services
Deh Cho (Jan 26/01) - When Dollie Nahanni glides through the produce section at the grocery store she is looking for quality at the right price.
There have been times when she's gone in search of a cantaloupe or a bag of oranges, but walked away empty handed by choice.
"Sometimes it's just too much," she said.
This year there was a frost in Florida which led to an increase in the price of tomatoes last week, according to Kim Myers, Northern store foods manager.
When crops are damaged, such as Florida's tomatoes, we have to pay more for the fewer left on the market.
Floods, frost, hurricanes the world over can affect the cost of certain fruits and vegetables, he noted, adding that most of the Northern's produce is grown in California.
"The prices fluctuate weekly if not daily," he said.
"That's why it's important for consumers to follow the prices. (Sometimes) I'm just the bearer of bad news ... but we have no input in the market pricing."
It's not always bad news. Cauliflower was selling for a mere $2.19 a head last week. On-the-shelf prices include the cost of transportation, packaging and the store's mark-up for profit. Things weren't so good in early December, however, as cauliflower prices were close to $8 each. When charges run that high, Myers, who reviews the next week's prices in advance of an order, said he'll decline certain fruits and vegetables because they simply won't sell.
On the up side, there's a good chance those same products will be cheaper the following week.
"It's, bottom line, a supply-and-demand market," said Myers.
Most susceptible to fluctuating prices are broccoli, peppers and leafy green vegetables, such as lettuce. These crops are generally grown seasonally and spoil quickly. On the stable side are apples, potatoes, carrots, cabbage and mushrooms. They keep well for longer periods and can be grown pretty well year-round. Sometimes the battle is a matter of perception. A sign advertising red peppers for $13.99 per kilogram, can be a shock. But an individual pepper will only cost a little more than $2.
The reasoning is that certain fruits and vegetables are traditionally sold by weight, and rarely does anyone buy an entire kilogram of peppers. So intimidating prices are sometimes deceiving, Myers said.
