Fresh-cut produce, packaged in all forms, continues to be a popular choice for today's busy shoppers who are looking for healthy, on-the-go options for themselves and their family.

Juliemar Rosado, director of retail and international marketing for the National Watermelon Promotion Board (NWPB), Winter Springs, Florida, says with a category item like watermelons, good merchandising is important because it confirms the value, health and versatility of the product, which are some of the primary drivers for watermelon sales.

As things heat up this summer, shoppers are looking for unique produce options to energize their outdoor party platters and for poolside snacking.

Avocados continue to excel as a top fruit drawing customers into produce departments coast to coast. And although the California crop was greatly reduced this season due to extreme heat and wildfires, the industry remains optimistic that there will be plenty available to spread on toast and liven up parties in guacamole dishes.

As of late March, the weather has been favorable with no major freeze issues and sufficient chill and dormancy needed for a quality pear crop, says Kevin Moffitt, president and CEO of the Milwaukie, Oregon-based Pear Bureau Northwest.

As retailers anticipate the peak of the apple seasons, they should remember that when promoted properly, these popular commodities can drive seasonal sales.

Weather across the country appears to have been favorable so far for this year's tree fruit crops, with seasons' arrivals being slightly delayed.

Blueberries have become consumers' top berry, according to the Folsom, California-based U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council's (USHBC's) Consumer Usage & Attitude Study.

Organic products in general have been available for decades but they're more accessible than they've ever been the past few years, according to The Nielsen Co.