NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RFD News) — U.S. vegetable supplies still depend heavily on imports for some products, but that reliance is far from uniform. USDA’s latest outlook says imports accounted for about one-third of total U.S. vegetable availability in 2025, with much sharper dependence in a few key categories.
For fresh vegetables, Mexico supplied about 77 percent of imports and Canada about 13 percent. Tomatoes and cucumbers remained heavily import-dependent, while lettuce continued to rely mostly on domestic production.
Fresh vegetable availability, excluding potatoes, reached 148 pounds per person in 2025. That was nearly 3 pounds above the previous year, supported by higher production and lower exports.
Processing vegetable availability also moved higher. USDA estimated 102.7 pounds per person in 2025, up 7 percent from 2024, with tomatoes, sweet corn, and snap beans all showing year-over-year gains.
Potato availability slipped 2 percent to 112 pounds per person, while dry pulse availability rose 13.4 percent to 12.6 pounds per person. USDA said import dependence remains product-specific rather than broad across the sector.
Farm-Level Takeaway: Reliance on vegetable imports remains uneven, with domestic production still anchoring several major categories.
Tony St. James, RFD News Markets Specialist
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