A Roundtable Discussion with Supermarket Dietitian's

What Best Sells Fruits & Vegetables in the Store? A roundtable discussion was held with the invited supermarket dietitians that focused on the strategies and methods they believe help to sell fruit and vegetables, thereby increasing consumption.

Merchandising
Take advantage of the naturally bright and enticing colors of produce as an easy way to increase the consumption of fruit and vegetables.  Think red in February or pink in October.  Coordinate color with grab n’ go fruit and vegetable items or display these items as a stand-alone near the check-out, salad bar, or deli.  Display contests, tied to a specific event such as tailgating, is a great method to sell more fruit and vegetables.  It can also be ‘hands-on’ by incorporating tastings and samplings, which are relatively inexpensive to execute when produce partners with fruit and vegetable or center store suppliers.  Take advantage of social media by highlighting different fruit and vegetables and recipes on social media platforms.  Contests are another easy way to get shoppers excited about fruit and vegetables: Have them send a picture of themselves with their favorite fruit or vegetable, or share their favorite way to eat fruit and vegetables.

Sampling
In-store or within the local community are two successful sampling methods to help increase the sales and consumption of fruit and vegetables.  Fruit and vegetable sampling offers the flexibility of not only featuring a common or specialty fruit or vegetable, but also different forms (fresh, frozen, canned, dried, and 100% juice).  Many dietitians pair an easy-to-prepare recipe, highlighting the featured fruit or vegetables, with in-store samplings as a way to increase total basket size.  If the recipe is being made in-store, film the store employee making the recipe and share it on your website, with local media outlets (they are always looking to feature recipes), and through social media platforms.  Partnering with a vendor and supplier, (or multiple complementary vendors/suppliers) is a nice way to share the cost.

Demo Kitchen
A demo kitchen can have a positive impact on total basket size and the increased consumption of fruit and vegetables when placed at the store entrance.  Customers are easily lured to the demo kitchen and enjoy seeing the recipe being prepared, as well as the sample of the finished product!  To help calculate the ROI for demo kitchens, compare the overall store sales and sales of the products included in the featured recipe on the demo days vs. the days on which there weren’t any demos.

Smoothie Station
This type of station definitely helps to sell and increase the consumption of fruit and vegetables, but it may not work in all communities due to demographics and store location. 

Shelf Labeling Programs
Across the board, supermarket dietitians shared that customer awareness and knowledge of these programs is very low, and that daily education of shoppers is required.  It was also shared that proprietary programs seem to be easier for customers to understand.  Stores are promoting their shelf labeling program through ads, in-store signage, and special community projects where a percentage of total sales is donated when healthier shelf-tagged products are purchased through loyalty card programs.  The community project could be especially helpful to increase awareness and knowledge of the program.

PBH Partners with National Grocers Association

Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) and the National Grocers Association (NGA) recently announced a newly formed partnership between the two organizations focused on the continuing education of supermarket dietitians within the independent and small retail chains and wholesale grocers. Supermarket dietitians are a key resource for shoppers looking to learn more about fruit and vegetables and the role they play in daily meals and snacks, disease prevention, and overall health and wellness.

The partnership includes cross-sharing relevant resources and information from each organization with our respective members and supporters through webinars, and print and electronic communications and a sponsored event that will bring supermarket dietitians from small retail chains and independent stores to The NGA Show, held February 8-11, 2015 at the Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The dietitians will participate in relevant educational sessions, engage with sponsors and other organizations while on the expo floor, and have the opportunity to meet fellow dietitians and members of the fruit and vegetable industry during several networking occasions.

"Given our history of working with and supplying information, toolkits, and resources to supermarkets, and our more recent work with supermarket dietitians, the partnership with NGA is both exciting and timely," said Elizabeth Pivonka, Ph.D., R.D., president and CEO of PBH. "PBH will be able to share our vast resources with members of NGA, while continuing to strengthen our knowledge of the goals and needs of independents and small retail chains.”

“Health and wellness products and services are increasingly becoming a priority for consumers. Given this growing trend, NGA is excited about the opportunity to partner with PBH to equip our members with the tools and resources needed to better educate and provide products and services to meet their customers' needs and expectations,” said Peter J. Larkin, president and CEO of NGA.

PBH Primary Shoppers' Report Now Available

Since 1991, Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) has been dedicated to producing a healthier America through increased fruit and vegetable consumption. PBH conducts regular consumer surveys to identify psychosocial factors associated with fruit and vegetable consumption in an effort to monitor progress and inform industry, health influencers, and policy makers. Primary shoppers were surveyed in 2012 and 2014 and are the basis for PBH's latest report, Primary Shoppers' Attitudes and Beliefs Related to Fruit & Vegetable Consumption 2012 vs 2014.

Highlights from the report include:

Shoppers Eat More
More than 80% of primary shoppers think it’s important to eat fruit and vegetables and nearly that same percentage find them enjoyable to eat.

Consuming Fruit & Vegetables Can Be A Chore
Concerns about spoilage is cited as more of a problem in 2014 than two years prior when it comes to increasing consumption of fruit and vegetables.

Favorability
Despite the fact that shoppers recognize the health benefits of eating fruit and vegetables, virtually all forms of fruit and vegetables (fresh, frozen, canned, dried, and 100% juice) are viewed less favorably in 2014 than two years prior.

Communications
Primary shoppers report that TV news segments, supermarket flyers or newspaper ads, and signs on supermarket displays are the most effective ways to communicate with them when they are making a food decision.

Income Differences
Lower income households consume fewer fruit and vegetables than higher income households, yet they equally perceive that they consume enough.

Motivated Purchases
Two out of three shoppers are favorable toward the Fruits & Veggies—More Matters® national health campaign and brand and appreciate the message as a reminder to eat more fruit and vegetables.

To make it easy to identify relevant findings, PBH developed an infograph visually highlighting some key results of the primary shopper report. PBH donors and supporters are able and encouraged to reproduce and utilize the infograph as needed. PBH is pleased to recognize the sponsors of the Primary Shopper report: Bayer CropScience, Del Monte Fresh Produce, Monsanto, and Produce Marketing Association.

PBH's Recognition Programs

Is your company a Fruits & Veggies—More Matters® Champion or Role Model? Would you like to nominate a dietitian for our Supermarket Dietitian of the Year recognition program? Or would you like to share your advocacy of PBH's mission with others and be a PBH Ambassador? Year-to-date 2014, over 70 organizations are tracking to be recognized as a Fruits & Veggies—More Matters Champion or Role Model, and over 30 PBH Ambassadors are helping to spread the word about PBH's mission. To learn more about these programs, visit PBHFoundation.org/get_inv. To submit information on what your company has done to support PBH and Fruits & Veggies—More Matters in 2014, or to nominate a supermarket dietitian, send an email to ImARoleModel@PBHFoundation.org by December 31, 2014. All Champions, Role Models, Ambassadors and Supermarket Dietitians of the Year will be recognized at a special luncheon during PBH's 2015 Annual Conference, March 16-18 in Scottsdale, Arizona.

November Social Media Posts

The holidays are quickly approaching! The time to give thanks, surround yourself with loves ones, and enjoy a nutritious holiday meal! Warm up your fans with our social media posts!

Twitter Parties

Join PBH and the National Mango Board on November 17 at 2:00pm for a special Twitter party focused on ideas to include mangoes in your holiday meals and snacks, #Mangover. Our December party will focus on fruit and vegetable gifts, as well as ideas on how to include fruit and vegetables in your holiday parties, #HolidayHelpers.