Prices of fruits and vegetables are a large part of a family's food bill. The average Israeli spends NIS 345 ($98.87 USD) a month on fruits and vegetables, according to a survey by Geocartography Knowledge Group, run by president and CEO Prof. Avi Degani, for Carmel Agrexco, ahead of 2014 Arava Open Day at Hatzeva. 7% of respondents spend more than NIS 500 ($143) a month on fruits and vegetables.
Fruits and vegetables prices are subject to especially high volatility. Just two weeks, already high prices jumped by almost 500%, following the last storm.
Nonetheless, for the lack of alternatives, 64% of the respondents buy fruits and vegetables at supermarkets. 43% of respondents say that the main reason for choosing the place to buy was the convenience of shopping at one location. 16% of respondents buy fruits and vegetables at open markets, and 15% at greengrocers. Only 36% of respondents say that their choice of location depends on the lowest price and convenient payment conditions, compared with 27% of respondents who say that the freshness of the produce was their priority.
Awareness about the advantages of consuming organic produce is rising. However, only 3% of respondents buy organic fruits and vegetables on a regular basis, while 33% buy organic produce from time to time.
