Fresh orange peppers in cratesMost fresh vegetable retail sales dipped in 2021, including fresh peppers. Data from IRI OmniMarket Integrated Fresh says fresh pepper retail sales were down $2.49 billion, or 3.7%, compared to 2020. The decline falls just behind lettuce, down $2.7 billion, and just ahead of fresh onions, down $2.44 billion.

Fresh vegetable sales decreased by $35.39 billion compared to 2020. However, fresh pepper organic sales increased, rising $170.3 million in sales, or 4.2% compared to 2020. The U.S. average price per pound for organic peppers last year was $3.36 per round, down four pennies from 2020. With increasing inflation across consumer produce prices, it’s expected that retail sales of both fruits and vegetables will continue to decline in 2022.

Read more on vegetable sales here.