8 • September | October 2026 • abasto.com Freshness Rules BY HERNANDO RAMÍREZ-SANTOS S upermarket chains are competing for customer loyalty in a market satura- ted with delivery apps and online options. A new in- dustry survey confirms that the real battle is still being fought in the produce aisle. Logile Inc., a global provider of AI-powered workforce management technology for retailers, published its 2026 State of Fresh Grocery Shopping Report. The company commis- sioned Pollfish, an inde- pendent research plat- form, to survey 1,000 U.S. consumers in March 2026. The results point to a clear conclusion: fresh produce departments— Fresh produce builds trust among 91% of shoppers • Sigue en la pág. 10 stores simply because the competitor’s fresh produce looked better. 84% noted that a disor- ganized produce section affects their perception of the entire store, not just that aisle. Price still matters, but it no longer wins by default. When two stores offer the same level of convenience, 46% of shoppers choose the one with better fresh produce. Only 40% opt for the cheapest option. This di- fference challenges a long- held assumption in retail: that discounts alone main- tain customer loyalty. Purchases of fresh pro- duce also explain why many consumers still pre- fer to shop in person rather than online. 74% said that fresh food remains a primary reason for shopping in person, and 85% stated that the appearance of fresh produ- ce directly influences what ends up in their cart. Prepared foods repre- sent another growth dri- ver. Sixty-eight percent of shoppers said that hot, ready-to-eat meals would motivate them to shop in a store’s deli or prepared foods section, suggesting larger shopping baskets for retailers that execute this well. not price tags—determine who wins shoppers’ trust. 91% of respondents said that fresh produce depart- ments strongly influence whether they trust a gro- cery store. This makes the quality of the fruit and ve- getable sections, the deli, and the bakery the most important indicator of a store’s quality, according to the report. Freshness Now Trumps Price The figures support a shift that retailers cannot igno- re. 78% of shoppers said they switched grocery Special Insert Agriculture industry