10 • September | October 2026 • abasto.com Small Cues, Big Impact Shoppers make these ju- dgments quickly and act on instinct. Clean display cases, fresh produce with no visible damage, and the right aroma are registered as signs of freshness in a matter of seconds, accor- ding to the report. Sold-out fresh produce has the opposite effect, dri- ving frustrated customers to the competition. This combination puts real pressure on retailers. Fresh produce depart- ments require constant attention and carry a high risk of spoilage, but they have become one of the most effective tools for dri- ving repeat visits. Mishra added that dis- plays cannot replicate the look or smell of freshly prepared food, and that shoppers’ expectations are outpacing many retailers’ ability to keep up. Accor- ding to Mishra, super- markets that synchronize production, staffing, and inventory in real time will continue to earn customer loyalty. • Continuation of pag. 8 Freshness remains the reason people walk into stores” Purna Mishra founder and CEO of Logile, in a statement accompanying the report. Different Generations Don’t Shop for Fresh Produce the Same Way The survey also revealed marked generational di- fferences, with Genera- tion X emerging as the group most devoted to fresh produce in the data. Fifty-four percent of Ge- neration X shoppers, aged 46 to 61, would choose hi- gher-quality fresh produ- ce over lower prices—the highest percentage of any generation. They are also the most attentive to sen- sory cues: 74% mention clean display cases, 72% point out visible dama- ge, and 61% consider the appearance of fresh produce to be “extremely important.” Three out of four have already switched stores due to dissatisfaction with fresh produce. Baby boomers, aged 62 and older, follow a similar sensory-based pattern. Eighty percent cite the smell of freshness as their main cue, and 77% point to clean display cases—both of which re- present the highest per- centages across all gene- rations. Furthermore, 84% of boomers say fresh food is their main reason for shopping in person, the strongest driver to physi- cal stores among any age group. Generation Z tells a different story. This ge- neration, aged 18 to 29, is the most price-sen- sitive: 47% choose the cheapest store when convenience is equal, compared to only 35% of Generation X. Even so, freshness is not irrelevant to them. 75% have switched stores for better fresh produce, and 64% say that fresh- ness continues to draw them to physical stores. Clear labeling is what matters most to this ge- neration: 65% cite da- tes and labeling as their primary indicator of freshness—the highest percentage of any age group. Millennials, aged 30 to 45, fall in the middle on nearly every metric. 46% choose freshness over price, which is prac- tically the same as the overall average. For supermarket chains, the message is clear: fresh produce de- partments now serve as a trust test that shoppers conduct on every visit. Retailers who keep their shelves well-stoc- ked, their display cases clean, and their prepa- red foods appealing will be able to win not only a sale but also the shopper’s long-term loyalty.. Special Insert Agriculture industry