Fox News Features The Produce Mom — Buying Seasonal Produce
May 10, 2013, Updated Jun 08, 2021
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It was my pleasure to be featured on yesterday’s Fox 59 News. Jenny Anchondo, one of the morning anchors, utilized my voice & produce industry knowledge to help drive home the messaging that fresh fruits and veggies are an accessible, affordable & healthy option for all consumers! All produce is good for you & nothing you can buy at the grocery store will offer you more nutrition than fruits & vegetables. If you are going to spend money in ANY section of the grocery store…. Produce is where you are always getting the best bang for your buck! Be proud about any purchase you make to bring fruits and vegetables into your home!!!
The news story focused on the ability of stretching your dollars by purchasing seasonal produce. Agriculture has evolved to the point where many fresh fruits & veggies are available year-round. Produce distributors like Indy Fruit are shopping the world everyday to make sure retailers are stocked with a wide variety, regardless of the season or time of year. We buy “summer” fruits, such as peaches, from Chile during the winter months. And “winter” fruits like oranges are sourced during the summer months from South Africa. Every country is farming – either for sustainability or trade – and it’s really fascinating when you think about the geography & global business that is represented in your produce department.
That being said, due to transportation costs alone it’s going to be less expensive for a consumer in the United States to purchase a peach that was grown in South Carolina versus a peach that was grown in Chile, or a mango that is grown in Mexico versus one that is grown in Thailand. Factor in seasonality & it’s really a no brainer – seasonal produce will always cost the consumer less money. The deep discounts and ad prices that are promoted in your grocery store’s weekly circular typically reflect “seasonal” produce.
Seasonality is a way for produce industry professionals & consumers to identify the time of year when crops have the highest yields. Produce classified as “in season” is just a classic example of economics and supply & demand. The supply of seasonal produce is usually abundant so therefore farmers are selling the crop at a lower price to stay competitive. That savings travels down the supply chain – every stage of the supply chain operates with the sales goal to ALWAYS sell out… we sell it or smell it in the produce industry! The high volumes of seasonal produce put us produce sales reps in a pressure cooker. We have truckloads upon truckloads of watermelons to sell leading in to 4th of July weekend. Farmers are hustling their abundant crop & offering quantity buy specials to distributors like us. We commit to quantity by the truckload & then we turn around & offer pallet or bin specials to the retailers. Then YOU read that whole watermelons are less than $3 in your store’s 4th of July ad & before we all know it… watermelon is an Independence Day icon.
Shop the ads & buy only what you need to make your money go further in the produce department, but know that apples are always a smarter purchase than apple jacks.
You can read about my segment with Fox 59 & view the news story here online. The segment’s other contributor, Beth from IN Good Cents, is a published author who is a true voice of authority when it comes to couponing & budget grocery shopping. And of course many thanks to Fox 59 News & Jenny Anchondo for their interest in The Produce Mom 🙂
Savor the Season!
xoxo Produce Mom