In the last 12 weeks apple sales were up and accounted for 6 percent of produce department dollars on a total U.S. basis.

Bringing top-quality import apples and pears from the world’s most sought-after production regions, Oppy said it sets out to deliver the freshest crop to the North American market at just the right time.

Fresh Innovations California's newest product – Apple Nachos Kits — combines fresh, tart apple slices from its Prize Slice retail brand with sweet and salty toppings in three different recipe varieties. Packaged in a convenient kit, everything needed for a sweet, fresh treat is ready to assemble and enjoy.

Industry data compiled by CMI Orchards note a growing trend toward bag over bulk sales with a tipping point in the near future. “Our estimates point to bags taking favor across conventional and organic apples sometime in the next 12-18 months,” said Danelle Huber, marketing specialist at CMI.

FirstFruits Farms, a recognized leader in the apple industry, launched its “A Taste of Luck” campaign to coincide with the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day holiday on March 17. With promotable volumes of high-quality apples available in March, the company is supporting retailers in pairing its well-known Opal and Granny Smith varieties together to create engaging green and gold displays and digital content that will attract shoppers during this festive time of year.

Apple sales continued to show dollar increases year over year, according to data from Nielsen over the latest 12 weeks from Nov. 7 to Jon. 29.

“We had some wild weather in the west in January that caused a few hiccups for apple shipments, but it was good to see that apple sales continued to show those 7 percent dollar increases year over year with Gala and Honeycrisp leading the pack at 44 percent of apple volumes,” said Brianna Shales, marketing director at Stemilt.