“Eat your fruits and vegetables,” says every mother everywhere. In fact, that resounding admonition has been echoed by parents, teachers, nutritionists, doctors and even governments for decades. In an era of drive-through, pre-packaged, grab-and-go food, getting enough green groceries in one’s diet can feel like a lot of work. Produce has to be purchased more frequently because it spoils. Much of it requires cleaning, cutting, refrigeration and sometimes specific cooking methods. While the banana and the baby carrot are fairly munch-able and portable, they still cannot be purchased weeks and stockpiled like most club store conveniences.
Nonetheless, consumers are looking for ways to squeeze in their recommended servings each day. A recent consumer survey conducted by the Produce for Better Health Foundation (pbhfoundation.org) showed that more than 80% of primary shoppers think it is important to eat fruits and vegetables. In fact, nearly as many shoppers said it was enjoyable to eat the healthier foods. However, when it comes to increasing their produce consumption, more consumers said they were concerned about spoilage in 2014 than in the two previous years of the survey. Half of those surveyed said they still don’t think they eat enough fruits and vegetables, and one in four considered eating produce a chore.