Six Strategies for Boosting Produce Consumption

Fresh produce is a big differentiator for food retailers, but lately its allure has been tempered by consumer financial challenges. Households under financial strain have been less likely to perceive the value of buying and consuming produce, according to The Power of Produce 2026 report from FMI — The Food Industry Association.

Consider the following consumption data points from the research:

• Fresh produce inclusion has declined across meal occasions, with cost cited as the primary barrier, especially among those facing financial challenges.

• Daily consumption of fresh produce, at 31%, is at its second-lowest point in nine years. More consumers have shifted to four to five days a week, which has reached its highest share since 2017.

• The share of consumers incorporating fruit in meals declined in the past year. The steepest drops were in morning and afternoon snack occasions, followed by dinner and dessert.

Fresh produce remains a critical growth driver for food retail, with $97 billion in sales. However, even though fresh produce has experienced below-average inflation, three-quarters of consumers believe that fruits and vegetables have become more expensive, a perception that impacts purchases.

While produce generated dollar, unit, and volume sales overall in 2025, 95% of that growth came from fruit, while vegetable sales were flat, according to Circana data in the FMI report.

Boosting fresh produce consumption is an important goal of food retailers and requires a multi-pronged approach, because consumers vary widely in their behaviors. Here are six strategies I believe to be essential for increasing consumption, based on information in the report.

1. Communicate Freshness and Taste: Retailers can underscore how quickly produce is delivered to their stores. They can highlight daily replenishment, rapid farm-to-store delivery, and produce associate quality checks that assure peak freshness. Retailers can lean in by using messaging such as, “from the field to our shelves in about three days.”

2. Emphasize Health Benefits: Health and nutrition are the leading drivers for increasing fresh fruit and vegetable consumption, according to the research. The food industry can leverage nutrition as an essential reason for shoppers to prioritize produce when money is tight — a messaging approach that can work across omnichannel shopping. The key is to elevate education to reinforce value perceptions and support produce’s role as an affordable investment in long-term health.

3. Relay Cost-Comparisons: Retailers have opportunities to contrast their prices to those of restaurants — to underscore the savings at retail. This type of approach works especially well for value-added, convenient produce solutions. These items are typically pricier than non-value-added items, but they become more appealing when food retailers relay price comparisons to similar items at restaurants.

Food retailers need to interpret the consumer insights and ideas outlined here based on their own unique businesses. They have big opportunities to collaborate with suppliers to advance success. Suppliers can help communicate to consumers about taste, freshness, health benefits, occasions and other produce topics.

Driving consumption isn’t always easy, but success is more likely when partners work together to achieve progress.

Rick Stein is vice president of Fresh Foods, FMI — The Food Industry Association.PB