As the leaves change and students return to their classrooms, the fall season offers a key opportunity for the retail produce industry as families focus on back-to-school issues such as healthy lunches and quick after-school snacks. For retailers and suppliers, this presents the opportunity to drive sales and connect with consumers through strategic marketing efforts.
Understanding families and their unique needs and preferences during the back-to-school season allows retailers and suppliers to craft compelling campaigns that boost sales while fostering healthy eating habits.
The Packer checked in with retailers, suppliers and the Healthy Family Project to uncover the innovative strategies and collaborative efforts that can make the fall season fruitful for everyone.
Retailers set the stage
Retailers drive fresh produce sales during the back-to-school fall season by leveraging strategic marketing tailored to families. The season offers a unique opportunity to capture the attention of parents and children and emphasize the importance of healthy eating habits. Whether creating eye-catching displays or family-friendly promotions, retailers play an important role in educating consumers.Mike Roberts, vice president of produce operations at Harps Food Stores, says kids often determine what their parents will purchase so he creates campaigns with kids' tastes in mind.
“I like to look at it from the kids' perspective since they will drive what mom and dad buy," he said. "Even though veggies might not be as popular as fruit items, we still need to eat them, so I pair lunchbox items together. We build promotions, ads and displays that feature lunchbox items to help kids eat healthier, nutritious and delicious items.”
Roberts says Harps is working on two back-to-school promotions this fall season.
“We are working on a great back-to-school promotion this year that will combine produce, back-to-school supplies and items for the lunchbox," he said. "We also have our Produce for Kids' campaign going, which is great for this time of year, giving special signage to our sponsor items on the shelf and in our ads. The Produce for Kids promotion drives consumers to our dedicated website with lots of meal and snack ideas to help families plan healthy meals — lunchbox ideas too!”
Roberts says Rockit apples, mandarins, 100ct apples, California grapes and strawberries are popular produce with families.
“We also create some in-store packs that include berries, grapes and some vegetables or nut items to create a balanced snack or lunch for kids or students on the go," he said.
“Every year, and keep in mind that with back-to-school comes football season, we look at historical sales; we let the consumers tell us what they are looking for as well as what our partners see as great back-to-school items that have performed well in other market areas," Roberts continued. "There is a lot to it.”
“Fresh produce is important during this season because, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-25, kids have adequate produce consumption in early childhood; but as they enter their school-age years, kids no longer meet the recommended intakes of fruits and vegetables," Talbot said. "It is important to close this gap by offering kids fresh produce during their school day to build positive produce consumption habits.”
To drive produce sales, Talbot says Coborn's back–to-school campaigns inspire guests with snack and lunchbox recipes that include fruits and vegetables.
“In past years, we have included a variety of fresh produce options throughout our omnichannel campaigns," Talbot said. "These campaigns include social media, email marketing, TV segments, e-commerce activations, in-store activations and more. The campaigns feature tips and ideas for including fresh produce in the back-to-school season. For example, making it fun and exciting with shaped fruits or mini vegetable kebobs. We also have included fresh produce like mini peppers or baby carrots in social media posts sharing ‘dietitian picks' for lunches.
Talbot says an emphasis on mangoes is being added this year for the back-to-school season.
"We plan to drive sales by offering mangoes at a lower price point throughout August and providing nutritional information about them throughout the omnichannel campaign," Talbot said. "Many of our guests are unfamiliar with how to cut and prepare a mango, which is a barrier to purchase and consumption, so we are also offering information on how to cut a mango. One example: a section of the month-long print and digital ad will feature the lower pricing on mangoes and direct guests to a video from one of our registered dietitians where she walks through the steps of cutting a mango.”
Talbot says partnering with its fresh merchandising team has helped drive produce consumption in 2024 by combining digital activations with ad pricing and in-store signage or ads to motivate the guests to add a specific produce item to their cart and ultimately consume that item at home.
Working with the dietitian team, Talbot says other resources include campaigns, resources and content.
“We have a substantial shoppable recipe library accessible for our guests all year that includes school lunches," Talbot said. "Additionally, guests can find kid and school-focused resources on our website with topics such as ‘Build a Better Lunchbox.'”
Another resource Coborn's offers is its Kids Cook at Home program, which consists of bi-monthly virtual classes.
“Our registered dietitian team manages the program, and the classes are free to our guests," Talbot said. "The recipes featured emphasize fruits, vegetables and whole grains — all food groups that school-age children are under-consuming (Dietary Guidelines 2020-25). Our goals for the class include building positive lifelong eating habits, encouraging kids to try new foods and developing their independence.”
Healthy Family Project educates families
Through community engagement, strategic partnerships and innovative programs, the Healthy Family Project says it inspires and educates parents and children about the benefits of incorporating fresh produce into their daily diets.
“Signage is placed beside the produce companies supporting the campaign,” said Amanda Keefer, senior director of marketing and communications for Healthy Family Project. “The QR code on the signs takes shoppers to a free digital cookbook featuring the produce sponsors. These sponsors are also making a donation to the Feeding America food banks in the Harps market area. Harps and the AWG Springfield division retailers have provided more than 1.2 million meals to families in need over the years.”
Healthy Family Project has hosted a back-to-school campaign since 2014.
“Each year we have new and repeat health-minded brand sponsors (usually produce) featured from Aug. 6-Sept. 15 on Healthy Family Project's website, social media and e-newsletters," Keefer said. "We also host an Instagram Live on Aug. 9 featuring all our partners. These brands will be featured in our Back-to-School content; they are also donating to the International Fresh Produce Association's Foundation for Fresh Produce for $12,000 to help increase accessibility to fruits and vegetables in schools.”
To date, Keefer says, the Healthy Family Project Back to School campaign has raised more than $208,000 for charities that support families and nutrition.
Suppliers provide promotional strategies
Suppliers are integral to the retail produce industry, ensuring that fresh, seasonal products are available to meet the demands of the fall marketing season. As families prepare to head back to school, suppliers work closely with retailers to plan and execute effective promotional strategies.Tara Murray, vice president of marketing for Fresh Innovations, says its mini cups are the ideal lunchbox addition.
“Our Yo Quiero guacamole and mashed avocado mini cups are perfect for school lunch boxes. Made from hand-scooped, nutrient-dense avocados, our mini cups are perfect for dipping with carrots, celery or veggie chips," Murray said. "It's a fun and delicious way to get more fruits and veggies into your child's diet. And since mornings can be very hectic, our Yo Quiero Avocado & Egg spread is quick, easy and ready for a toast or bagel. It's a great way to start the day.”
At Naturipe Farms, Jim Roberts, president of sales, says fresh produce is key during the back-to-school season.
“In the back-to-school season, the biggest way we drive fresh produce sales is by working closely with retailers to promote how fresh berries can fit into breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks during the school year," he said. "We suggest retailers highlight the health benefits of berries for growing children — like calcium, vitamin C and fiber — as well as easy recipes for busy families.”
Ashley Finster, vice president of marketing for Naturipe Farms, agrees.
“In the fall, we have quite a bit of success with our value-added options from Naturipe Snacks. Each one — whether it's our yogurt parfaits, Boost or Bliss Bentos or our just launched Berry Buddies — contains a serving of fresh fruit," Finster said. "We're proud of this distinction, especially given that others in the industry use dried fruit instead of fresh fruit in snacks. Making fresh fruit an attainable, grab-and-go option helps to drive fresh produce consumption.
“While people associate summer with fresh berries, there's no reason for them to fall off grocery lists in the fall. In early fall, we market fresh berries as the perfect addition to breakfast or lunch on a busy school day," she continued. "As fall progresses, we suggest that retailers promote all the delicious ways that fresh berries can be used in cozy recipes for the cooler months — with recipes like a warm, mixed berry French toast, a tart cranberry sauce, or a cozy raspberry oatmeal cookie, retailers can show that fresh berries are just as much a staple in the fall as the summer.
Cortney Walker, senior brand manager for Pure Flavor, says snack-sized vegetables make lunch and snack options easier. For back-to-school, “It's going to be snack-sized veggies, snack packs or anything convenient and easy for on-the-go eating, whether after school or for school lunches.
“And we always have a lot of recipes available on our website — anything from a super simple 15-minute meal to a full dinner recipe," Walker said. "We also promote tips to make eating healthy a little bit easier or a little bit more fun and we have a lot of activity sheets on our website to get kids more interested in veggies and get them learning little things about how hydrating a cucumber is, or other tips that they might find interesting that they don't necessarily know.”
At Sunkist Growers, the back-to-school focus this season is on making the citrus shopping experience bright and fun, says Cassie Howard, senior director of category management and marketing.
“We strive to keep citrus at the forefront during this time as families eagerly create shopping lists and look for fresh and fast ways to improve their holistic health and busy schedules," Howard said.
“Circana data shows that citrus is integral to consumers' shopping baskets throughout fall," she continued. "Building effective and engaging displays at the epicenter of the customer shopping journey is an effective solution for retailers to drive the citrus category and gear up to the return of other beloved California citrus favorites in the late fall.”
For popular fall produce, Howard says California star ruby grapefruit is always a great choice.
“California star ruby grapefruit presents the perfect opportunity to position the nutrient-packed A-lister in front of families seeking healthier snack-and-meal alternatives and wanting more value from their recent grocery purchases," she said. "A recent Sunkist-commissioned study revealed that most shoppers purchase grapefruit for its health benefits, followed by taste, and that breakfast and snacking are the most common consumptions. These insights can help our retailers better position health-focused breakfast options for grapefruit and introduce new ways to incorporate grapefruit during the back-to-school craze.”