Shoppers Load Up on Seasonal Asparagus, Meijer Reports

It’s been a healthy crop for Midwest-grown asparagus this year with parallel strong demand, reports Mejier. The retailer, headquartered in a state that ranks second in the country for asparagus production, projects that it will sell more than two million pounds of the vegetable this season.

Asparagus sales at Meijer doubled last week as summer entertaining and celebrations began in earnest. Demand and supply were in balance, as weather conditions delayed harvest by a week to align with the arrival of the peak shopping days leading into Memorial Day.

Meijer sources asparagus from more than 200 local growers, many of which are family-owned and utilize sustainable harvesting techniques.

“Our local growers have done a great job in providing some of the freshest asparagus available. Throughout the summer, the stalks purchased in-store were harvested only a day or two prior,” remarked Scott Calandra, produce buyer for Meijer.

Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Meijer operates more than 255 supercenters and grocery stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin. The company is No. 18 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.