America’s Top Apple Is Now the Gala
- Fresh fruit demand climbs in U.S. as varieties increase
- Honeycrisp gains as Golden Delicious drops from top five
Photographer: Bloomberg/Bloomberg
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The Red Delicious apple, an easy-to-transport variety that dominated grocery selection for decades, is no longer the most popular variety in the U.S. as the rise of the Gala apple and other fresh fruits signal changing consumer tastes and greater diversity in diets.
U.S. growers in 2018 will produce 52.4 million boxes of Gala apples, up 5.8 percent from last year, and 51.7 million of Red Delicious, down 11 percent, the U.S. Apple Association said Thursday in a statement. A box weighs 42 pounds (19 kilograms). Red Delicious has been the nation’s top apple for at least five decades, the group said.