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We are thankful for the ongoing commitment of the retail industry to inspire consumers to add more produce to their shopping carts.

As you plan for National Fruits and Veggies Month 2024, have fun with this year’s theme of Every Time You Eat, Have A Plant®. Building produce habits requires repetition; finding #foodhacks and repeating them again and again leads to established shopping and eating behaviors. Consider the following ideas as inspiration for increasing produce sales and consumption.

Every Time You Pack a Lunch, Have A Plant®
Into September, parents and kids alike are still getting into the school routine, including packing nutritious lunches. To make the lunch packing process easy for your shoppers, create a lunch formula guide, with Protein, Whole Grains, Dairy, and Fruits/Veggies as categories. Suggest options in each category that pair well with foods in other categories. Promote grab-and-go options in your store like precut veg, cheese sticks, low sodium deli meats, fruits that don’t require prep like tangerines and peaches, and whole grain crackers or naan breads. Encourage parents to educate their kids that a lunch has to include one food from each category.

Every Time You Enjoy a Meal with Family, Have A Plant®
National Fruits and Veggies Month celebrated at the same time as National Family Meals Month is the perfect pairing when it comes to in-store promotion. Double up the fruits and veggies called for in family meal recipes you’re promoting. Work with produce and meat departments to offer BOGOs of veggie sides with a main dish meat. Promote fruit boards and veggie platters as pre-dinner snacks and to encourage family chatter as meals are being prepped.

Every Time You Snack, Have A Plant®
After school snacks, after sports snacks, pre-bedtime snacks, between meeting snacks – there are simply so many snacking occasions! Take advantage of this opportunity to help shoppers and families build new produce consumption habits by resurfacing tried and true fruit and veggie pairings ideal for snack time. Options include apples with nut butter, baby carrots with hummus, Greek yogurt with berries, cherry tomatoes and mini-mozzarella balls, bell pepper strips and guacamole, or string cheese and orange slices.

Every Time You Eat, Have A Plant®
We all need reminders to build new habits and social media is the idea place for daily nudges to healthier behaviors. Throughout September, post simple messages that encourage fruits and veggies every time shoppers eat. Include retail team members sharing their suggestions. Link to recipes and curated produce bundles in e-commerce. Some ideas to get your started are Every Time You Host, Have A Plant®; Every Time You Work Out, Have A Plant®; Every Time You Grill, Have A Plant®; Every Time You Eat in Your Dorm Room, Have A Plant®.

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