Despite price increases, fruits drove growth for fresh produce and brought in strong volume and dollar sales in the U.S. for the fourth quarter of 2012, the United Fresh Foundation reported.

The average retail price for fruits increased 6.1% but did not harm consumption. A 3% increase in volume sales helped push up dollar sales by 9.2%.

Eight of the top 10 fruit categories had greater volume sales than in the same quarter the previous year. For dollar growth, six of the top 10 categories increased sales by double digits.

Berries, avocados and melons did particularly well with double digit increases in both volume and dollar sales.

Value-added fruits increased dollar sales by 12.9% and volume sales by 7.5%. Fresh cut performed the best for value-added fruit with two-thirds of the quarter's dollar share.

Organic fruit increased dollar sales by almost a quarter with 23.2% growth.

For vegetables, there were dollar sale declines and consistent volumes. Only packaged salads and squash/pumpkins recorded dollar sale increases out of the 10 top vegetable categories.

Value-added vegetables and organic vegetables did grow, however, with 6.2% and 11.9% growth in dollar sales, respectively.

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