MILWAUKEE, WI - As we look ahead to what fruits and veggies are spiking consumer interest most, FullTilt Marketing went to the influencers of the internet foodies: bloggers.

The company asked 50 food bloggers what their most popular fruit and vegetable posts were for 2016, looking for a glimpse into what trends we might see in months to come.

A dominant aspect? Appearance. According to a press release, 74% of the bloggers’ recipes included descriptive comments such as “beautiful,” “stunning,” “looks so good,” and “amazing.”

“It’s no surprise that appearance drove overall popularity of posts with likes, shares, and comments highest on attractive images,” said Managing Partner at FullTilt Marketing Melinda Goodman. “We’ve always heard that a picture’s worth a thousand words, and your image is your first impression.”

This visual likability, FullTilt said, drove millions of impressions, with over 20% of the posts generating upwards of 20,000 pins.

Additional key driving factors that made the recipes popular with consumers included:

• Seasonality
• Flavor profiles
• Healthy substitutes

One of the top recipe posts, Ciao Florentina’s Sweet Potato Round with Goat Cheese and Cranberries, generated 189,000 shares. The post touched on all the above winning factors–visual appeal, “wow” flavors, seasonal interest, and healthy ingredients.

“The most popular recipe on my blog continues to be sautéed kale and this has been the case for two years,” said Cynthia Rusincovitch, blogger of My Nourished Home. “I find my audience, mostly moms of busy families, want healthier choices that are simple and taste great so they don’t need to fight with their kids to eat them, but they also want dishes that are inspired by what they are seeing in magazines and eating in restaurants.”

As for content highlights that peaked interest, a third of the recipes highlighted gave a healthy twist to a traditional classic. Many produce options promoted for making dishes gluten free, paleo, or offering less sugar included zucchini, cauliflower, and spaghetti squash.

Another content-driven highlight was the importance of seasonal ingredients–34% of the top recipes were presented as seasonal dishes–as well as health.

“From drinks to desserts, breads, salads, and side dishes, the bloggers proved that what’s popular isn’t one type of food, preparation, or trend, but an overall interest in utilizing more fruits and vegetables as part of a healthier diet,” said Heidi McIntyre, Managing Partner of FullTilt.

As to why it went to bloggers for insight, the company cited a recent study from Research Now showing 2 out of 3 of all consumers read blogs weekly and nearly 9 in 10 consumers make purchases after reading about a product or service on a blog.

“Not only are blogs the new trusted media, they are also a key source of peer-to-peer word of mouth advertising that supports all steps of the purchase decision process from discovery to research to price comparison and sometimes direct purchase,” concluded Goodman.

The AndNowUKnow team will certainly keep on the lookout as the questions of popular produce are answered moving throughout 2017 and beyond.

FullTilt Marketing