Broccoli: Kids Love It But Parents Aren't Buying It! New Study Reveals Disconnect Between What Kids Want and Buying Habits of Parents

Not surprisingly, this new study reveals that kids aren't getting in the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables that they should be eating. And what is more surprising is that the top fruits and veggies that kids say they like don't exactly match up with parents buying habits. Read on!

Dave


Produce for Kids® Study: Only 18 Percent of Kids Are Eating Recommended Daily Servings of Fruits and Vegetables -- Families Spend Just $103 Each Year on Fruit, with Bananas Topping the List; Creative Marketing of Fruits and Vegetables Can Rebalance Kids’ Diets –

(REIDSVIILLE, Ga.) – May 13, 2008 – Only 18 percent of America’s children are eating the recommended three or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day, according to a study commissioned by Produce for Kids® (PFK), an organization that promotes the benefits of healthy eating and supports worthy causes for children such as Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) hospitals and educational media content from PBS KIDS®. The survey identified the fruits and vegetables that parents – usually moms – are buying each week and explored the factors that motivate kids to eat fresh produce.

According to the study, 38 percent of parents say their children eat two servings of fresh fruit and vegetables per day, and 43 percent state that their children have one or less daily serving.

“The increased consumption of fruits and vegetables can help kids to achieve a healthy weight and improve their overall health,” said Dr. Keith-Thomas Ayoob, pediatric nutritionist and associate professor, Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

The United States Department of Agriculture estimates that approximately 25 million children, or one-in-three kids, are overweight or are at risk of becoming overweight.
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John Shuman, president of Produce for Kids, noted: “This survey highlights the extent of the challenge facing the produce and retail industries, but also offers hope: we can make healthy foods attractive to kids if we market them creatively.”

Bananas: the pick of the bunch
The study revealed that the most-purchased fruits – and the most popular with kids – are those that lend themselves to easy snacking. Bananas, purchased by 85 percent of households, rank number one, followed by apples (84 percent), grapes (75 percent), strawberries/berries (48 percent) and citrus fruits (34 percent).

Potatoes are the top-ranked vegetable, purchased by 86 percent of households, followed by baby carrots (60 percent), tomatoes (54 percent), lettuce/salad (53 percent) and corn (44 percent).

The broccoli disconnect
The study also revealed that parents may be missing an opportunity to add more greenery to their kids’ meals: children voted broccoli among their top-three favorite vegetables, yet parents did not rank it in their top-five most-purchased items.

“Kids need to actually touch and taste fruits and vegetables so they can become interested and attached to them,” continued Ayoob. “Parents can encourage more trial through fun and family-bonding experiences at home involving produce.”

Two dollars per week spent on fruit – but cause for hope
The study showed that parents make, on average, 27 shopping trips per year to buy fruit, spending $103 per year – or just $2.00 per week. They also make an average of 29 trips per year to purchase vegetables, spending $114.62.

Yet while the survey demonstrates that kids are not getting the recommended daily serving of fruits and vegetables, there is reason for optimism: 49 percent of parents said that their children eat salad on a regular basis. Moreover, kids want their fresh fruits: 70 percent of respondents who purchase fruit do so because their kids ask for it.
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The keys to marketing success: more dips, more fun and more guidance
Parents said that they purchase fresh-cut fruit and vegetables because these products enable kids to help themselves, are convenient, and offer a healthy alternative to other, less nutritious snacks.

The addition of dips and dressings may increase the appeal of fresh produce to kids: two-thirds of respondents said their children eat fresh fruits and vegetables with dips. Ranch dressing was cited as the favorite accompaniment for vegetables, while caramel dip, peanut butter and cream cheese were most popular with fruits. Underscoring the potential of complementary products, expenditure on dips increased 5.1 percent year-on-year between 2006 and 2007.

Creative promotions also help to increase the appeal of fresh produce, according to the survey. Eighty-five percent of respondents suggested that kids would respond to an interactive in-store game that educates their children about the benefits of a healthy diet, with a coloring or activity book the most popular suggestion (34 percent), followed by an online game with popular cartoon characters (26 percent)

Parents also said that in-store demos featuring healthy, kid-friendly recipes, health-oriented kids’ clubs, and sweepstakes drawings would most influence them to purchase more fresh fruits and vegetables. In addition, fifty-five percent said that they would welcome information in the produce department about fun, kid-friendly recipes that families could make together, while 46 percent said that they would appreciate tips on how to encourage picky eaters to eat more vegetables.

Cartoon characters cautioned
Half of parents said that cartoon characters on packaging – a staple of produce marketing – would not affect their purchase decision, and 27 percent said that they “probably” or “definitely” would not buy produce featuring them. All eight kid-friendly baby carrot and sliced apple products featuring cartoon characters that were examined in the survey showed sales increases when first introduced – likely because of a high level of promotion – then longer term declines. Indeed, these items showed sales dollar declines ranging from 8 percent to 67 percent year-on-year from 2006 to 2007.
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However, the targeted and responsible use of cartoon characters can play a positive role in the promotion of fruits and vegetables. The proportion of parents who said they would buy produce items with cartoon characters on the packaging rose from 21 percent to 28 percent if those characters were promoting healthy eating. Of parents with children aged nine and under, 30 percent said that they would buy characters featuring characters on the packaging. Cartoon characters from Nickelodeon, Disney and PBS KIDS were considered most attractive to parents.
About the study

The Perishables Group, an independent consulting firm specializing in the fresh food business, conducted the study on behalf of four sponsors: Dole, National Mango Board, Paramount Citrus and T. Marzetti. This comprehensive study combined multiple research tools including Nielsen point-of-sale scan data; Spectra consumer lifestyle analysis; an online survey of 1,000 mothers and children and 500 shopper intercepts of mothers and children.

About Produce for Kids
Produce for Kids® promotes healthy lifestyles for children by educating kids and parents about the benefits of eating fresh fruits and vegetables while also supporting worthy children’s causes. Since its creation in 2002 by Shuman Produce Inc., Produce for Kids has raised more than $1.2 million for local Children’s Miracle Network hospitals. Produce for Kids also partners with PBS KIDS® to educate parents on healthy eating and raise funds for PBS. For additional information on Produce for Kids, visit www.produceforkids.org.