Fresh produce buying guide: official price ranges, season windows and buyer questions

How to read these prices

Ex-packaging station price (EU)

Price at the packing station in the producing country, before transport to the buyer. Reported weekly by member states to the European Commission, in EUR per 100 kg; shown here in EUR per kg.

Terminal market price (US)

Price of wholesale lots sold by primary receivers at a city wholesale market, quoted per package (carton, flat or bushel), already including freight to that city.

Delivered cost

What the buyer actually pays at destination: product price plus packing, freight, insurance, cold chain, duties and fees, depending on the Incoterm.

Europe: packing-station price ranges

Lowest and highest weekly price reported by any member state in the latest eight weeks of data for each product. Products out of season show their last reported weeks.

Ranges mix sizes, grades and national reporting methods, so they are wide. Ask suppliers to quote against one specification.

How far prices move in a year: Spain

Lowest and highest weekly packing-station price in Spain over the 12 months of data shown, with the week it was reported.

Source: European Commission, Agri-food Data Portal — fruit and vegetables prices (supply chain) — Ex-packaging station price, 20 Oct 2026.

North America: US wholesale terminal market

Prices from one market (Los Angeles) on one day, per package as USDA quotes them. Canada is not covered: we have not verified an equivalent official series.

Package weights differ, so do not compare these figures with EUR per kg without converting each package.

Source: USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, Specialty Crops Market News — Los Angeles Terminal Market, 19 Oct 2026 — HC_FV010, HC_FV020.

Season windows

When each origin can supply drives price and continuity. Plan programs that switch origin as seasons end.

European producers: months with reported prices

Months in which each member state reported packing-station prices in the 12 months shown. Reporting usually follows the marketing season, but a gap can also mean no report was filed.

Southern hemisphere and Mexico: official season windows

What moves the price

• Season and origin: prices are usually highest at the start and end of an origin's season.
• Variety and type: cherry and vine tomatoes trade well above round tomatoes; coloured peppers above green.
• Size, count and grade: Class I, size bands and counts per carton change the price per kg.
• Packaging and labelling: retail packs, private label and punnets cost more than bulk cartons.
• Certifications and residue limits required by your market.
• Incoterm, freight mode (sea reefer or air) and cold-chain requirements.
• Program length and volume commitment: regular weekly programs are priced differently from spot loads.

What to include in your request

• Product, variety and type (for example vine tomatoes, Hass avocados)
• Grade, size or count, and quality limits
• Volume per shipment and per season or year
• Delivery window and preferred origins
• Packaging, labelling and pallet format
• Required documents: phytosanitary certificate, certifications, residue tests
• Destination port or city and Incoterm
• Total program value (qualified programs from USD 250,000)

Buyer questions

Related

• How to prepare a fresh-produce RFQ
• Premium fruit export intelligence: cherries, avocados, blueberries
• Fruit trade lanes: cherries, avocados and blueberries by origin, destination and season
• Post-harvest cooling
• Protected agriculture buyer markets
• Grower or exporter? Submit supply privately