UNITED STATES - At the heart of the fresh produce industry resides a simple mission: to increase access to and consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. The hurdles preventing consumers from eating healthy diets may be numerous, and the challenge of driving consumption daunting, but the International Fresh Produce Association and The Foundation for Fresh Produce developed a framework to do exactly that.

Three years ago, both organizations made an industry commitment to track the top drivers of produce consumption globally through an open-access resource hub, tentatively titled the “Produce in the Public Interest (PIPI) insights engine,” over a 25-year time horizon.

“While there is agreement on the criticality of increasing fruit and vegetable consumption, multi-disciplinary partners risk talking past each other without shared context and meaning. This project provides a comprehensive picture to help stakeholders understand and appreciate all the pull drivers of consumption from different vantage points,” noted Lauren M. Scott, President of The Foundation for Fresh Produce.

The first step in such a herculean task was to identify a framework of these top drivers. Drawing from scientific publications and industry frameworks, IFPA and The Foundation outlined 18 drivers in its report titled “The Power of Pull: Driving Fruit and Vegetable Consumption at the Intersection of Access, Appeal, and Attitudes” that spotlight possible solutions and effective ways to increase consumption.

As you can see in the chart provided below, the drivers exist across six dimensions. They are as follows: Access, Appeal, and Attitudes under the macro driver category and Individual, Social, and Physical under the Spheres of Influence category.

It can be difficult for us as an industry to know what the consumer is thinking. What they want one month could differ from the next, and while the push and pull of that demand keeps us nimble, it can be difficult to predict and build programs from.

Resources such as this project from the International Fresh Produce Association and The Foundation for Fresh Produce seek to connect us so that our shared goal of increasing consumption becomes more tangible every year.

For more insights into the report, please click here to read it in full. And stick with ANUK for the latest in all things relating to the fresh produce industry.