Why are strawberry prices up 10% from a year ago?
Strawberries: $2.84 per 12 oz, U.S. average price in September 2026. 1-month +10.2%, 3-month +12.9%, 1-year +10.4%. 5-year range $2.06 to $3.86, average $2.76.
Price check: Near its usual level. +2.7% versus its 5-year average, +10.4% versus a year ago.
The short answer
- Retail strawberry prices reached $2.84 per 12-ounce pint in September 2026 driven primarily by the seasonal tapering of California production as peak summer harvest ends and supply transitions toward late-season districts. [1] [2]
- Prices remain 10.4% above September 2025 levels due to weather-driven harvest disruptions during the 2026 California spring, elevated farm labor expenses, and trade friction over Mexican winter imports. [3] [4] [5]
What's driving the price
Political, regulatory and trade factors
- Antidumping duties on Mexican winter strawberry imports (Jul 2026 to Sep 2026), U.S. Department of Commerce: On August 18, 2026, the U.S. Department of Commerce issued an affirmative preliminary antidumping determination following a petition by Florida growers, establishing dumping duties between 3.37% and 5.28% on fresh winter strawberries imported from Mexico for the November to March shipping window. [pushed prices up] [4] [8]
Macro factors: supply, weather, disease, energy
- Weather disruption in major growing districts (Dec 2025 to Sep 2026): USDA reports indicate freezing temperatures from Winter Storm Gianna reduced Florida fresh strawberry shipments by double digits in early 2026, while unseasonably warm and wet California spring weather lowered peak May 2026 harvest volume by 14% year over year. [pushed prices up] [5] [7]
- Surge in Mexican import volumes (Dec 2024 to Jul 2025): According to the USDA Economic Research Service, fresh strawberry imports reached a record 590 million pounds in 2025, with Mexico supplying 98% of imported fruit and moderating off-season price increases via an 11% decline in import unit values. [pushed prices down] [9] [10]
- Rising farm labor and harvest input expenses (Oct 2023 to Sep 2026): Strawberries require specialized manual field picking, and University of Florida IFAS research highlights that rising adverse effect wage rates, H-2A guest-worker requirements, and domestic farm labor shortages have increased baseline grower unit costs across the industry. [pushed prices up] [3]
Retail, brand and seasonal factors
- California summer peak harvest volumes (Jan 2024 to Jun 2024, Dec 2024 to Jul 2025, and Dec 2025 to Jul 2026): California accounts for roughly 90% of domestic production, and peak spring and summer shipments flood grocery shelves from April to July, driving retail prices to cyclical lows such as $2.06 in June 2024 and $2.40 in July 2026. [pushed prices down] [2] [5] [6]
- Factor: Off-season supply contraction and regional transition (Oct 2023 to Jan 2024, Jun 2024 to Dec 2024, Jul 2025 to Dec 2025, and Jul 2026 to Sep 2026): Fresh strawberry prices predictably climb in late summer and autumn as Central California yields fall before Florida and Mexican winter crops enter full commercial production, peaking above $3.50 in mid-winter. [pushed prices up] [1] [4]
Supply chain right now
- Raw materials & farming (moderate): California growers are finishing late-season harvest with acreage up 6.7% for fall while Florida growers prepare winter fields amid higher seasonal labor expenses. [2] [3]
- Processing & manufacturing (stable): Fresh strawberries bypass extensive processing by packing directly into field clamshells, with excess yields diverted to freezing and puree facilities to balance fresh market supply. [6] [11]
- Logistics & freight (moderate): The highly perishable fruit requires continuous cold-chain management and refrigerated motor carrier availability from Salinas and Watsonville shipping points. [12] [13]
- Retail & distribution (stable): Supermarket retailers are curtailing summer front-page price promotions and adjusting retail dry pint margins as supply tightens toward fall levels. [14] [15]
Researched 2026-10-18 with Google Search. Every point links to its sources; unsourced claims were removed.
Strawberries prices, last 12 months
| Month | Price per 12 oz |
|---|---|
| September 2026 | $2.84 |
| August 2026 | $2.58 |
| July 2026 | $2.40 |
| June 2026 | $2.52 |
| May 2026 | $2.60 |
| April 2026 | $2.49 |
| March 2026 | $2.58 |
| February 2026 | $2.93 |
| January 2026 | $3.08 |
| December 2025 | $3.61 |
| September 2025 | $2.57 |
| August 2025 | $2.41 |
| July 2025 | $2.22 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Average Price Data, series APU0000711415.
Sources
- freshproduce.com (freshproduce.com)
- California Strawberry Shipments Running Ahead of Last Year Despite Spring Weather California Strawberry Shipments Stay Ahead (agnetwest.com)
- FE1179/FE1179: The US Strawberry Industry: An Overview of Production and Trade (ask.ifas.ufl.edu)
- Mexican strawberries in the US: dumping case and Florida growers (italianberry.it)
- California Strawberry Production Holds Steady in 2026 Despite Weather-Driven Slowdown (cropgpt.ai)
- cdfa.ca.gov (cdfa.ca.gov)
- US Strawberry Output Dipped To 31.2 Million Cwt In 2025, Down 3% From The Record Year (pnwag.net)
- Florida farmers bracing for strawberry price hike in coming months (cbsnews.com)
- Strawberry Prices Could Be the Next Grocery Bill Headache. Here’s Why (soyummy.com)
- ers.usda.gov (ers.usda.gov)
- Farmers received about half of what consumers paid for fresh strawberries from 2020–23 | Economic Research Service (ers.usda.gov)
- 2026 Strawberry Crop Outlook - Serving Agriculture Since 1907 (fruitgrowers.com)
- Organic strawberries bring growers higher prices than conventional berries | Economic Research Service (ers.usda.gov)
- Strawberry Prices – Historical Graph [Realtime Updates] (procurementtactics.com)
- For berries, the price and quantity purchased is highly seasonal | Economic Research Service (ers.usda.gov)