The emerging marketing system is changing not only the kinds of produce demanded by Mexican households, but its quality, consistency, packaging, and handling. U.S. producers may have a window of opportunity for providing Mexican supermarkets the quality and consistency of produce the Mexican distribution system cannot yet deliver. Among the factors in consumption growth are year-round demand and availability, increasing health consciousness among consumers, strong economic growth, and more creative marketing. Melon sales have benefited from pre-cut product displays and instore salad bars that have become mainstays of retail produce marketing in the 1990's. While cantaloupes are reportedly purchased more often than any other type of melon, watermelon accounts for over half of melon consumption by weight.
Imports complement U.S. domestic output to provide consumers with melons year-round.
Imports accounted for 20 percent of total U.S. consumption in 1997, up from a 10-percent share in 1980. The combination of year-round availability, enterprising promotion, and nutritional savvy among consumers favors continued expansion of melon demand. You can download and get help using the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print this document. PDF format is used to preserve the layout as it appears in the printed publication. Text-only versions of Agricultural Outlook are also available from Mann Library.