Why You Won't Find Green Bell Peppers In Colorful Multipacks

Stuffed bell peppers, fajitas, ratatouille, everything pizza, and your favorite Southwestern salad all have one thing in common: bell peppers. These colorful fruits are such an important part of our diet, per Statista, we ate a little over 11 pounds per person in 2022. Bell peppers are sweet and crunchy, and add an incredible depth and texture to any dish they touch. 

They also come to our table in a variety of colors. Orange, yellow, red, and green bell peppers are four of the most common versions of this pepper you see in the grocery store. However, if you ever purchased these peppers in a multipack, you've probably come to the realization that while a trio of red, yellow, and orange bell peppers is a common sight, you will never see a green bell pepper among them. This is because it is much cheaper to produce a green pepper than it is to produce other colors, and a consumer would feel cheated to pay a premium price for a trio of peppers that included a green one.

While it may sound far-fetched, it's true. You can buy those green peppers in bulk for a lot cheaper. For example, Sam's Club sells a six-pack of multi-colored bell peppers for $6.78 while its six-pack of green peppers goes for $5.48. Meanwhile, the average three-pack of bell peppers costs around $3 while three-packs of greens are closer to $2.

Why not use green peppers for everything? Green peppers tend to be less sweet than the colorful variety and red bell peppers check in as the sweetest. For this reason, it is suggested that you cook with green peppers and reserve those sweet yellow, red, and orange bell peppers for your crudité. So, the next time you are grocery shopping for your bell peppers, buy green bell peppers for cooking and save the more expensive, colorful peppers for when no cooking is required.