Effectiveness of Federal Marketing Orders for Fruits And Vegetables

Prices for fruits and vegetables sold under Federal marketing orders generally have not exceeded prices for similar commodities not covered by orders. Nor have order commodity prices been significantly more stable from year to year. Orders that limit quantity marketed and apply to all domestic production show historical commodity price patterns that are statistically indistinguishable from price patterns for commodities covered by weaker orders. However, orders may tend to be instituted more frequently for products with extreme price variability; and they may be only partially successful in reducing that instability