Grapefruit

Facts

• Grapefruit offers up some fabulous health benefits, but those who take blood pressure medications should be aware that grapefruit can interfere with the medication’s effectiveness. Grapefruit contains plenty of vitamin C, an antioxidant that boosts the immune system and can help prevent cancer. Vitamin A is found in grapefruit and can help keep eyes and skin healthy. Grapefruit has also been shown to be helpful for people who are trying to lose weight. Studies show that diets that include grapefruit can help move that scale needle down.
• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the following nutrient content descriptors for grapefruit: fat-free, saturated fat-free, sodium-free, cholesterol-free, high in fiber, a good source of vitamin A and high in vitamin C.

Sales Strategies

• Grapefruit is most often eaten out of hand, but it does lend itself to some cross-merchandising opportunities, including bagged salads, juicers, brown sugar, apple slices and strawberries.
• Grapefruit is available year-round, but promotable quantities are mostly available November-May, so give them the most attention in the winter and spring months.
• Fall: Promote grapefruit as a great way to get kids started with a healthy breakfast as they head back to school.
• Winter: Winter is when grapefruit really shines. Plentiful quantities and winter holidays make them a can’t miss opportunity. Include grapefruit in holiday gift baskets and boxes. Promote grapefruit as a great addition to holiday brunches. Include grapefruit in post-New Year’s promotions aimed at health-conscious consumers.
• Spring: Include grapefruit in Easter and Mother’s Day promotions as a great addition to breakfast or brunch.
• Summer: Promote more limited supplies of grapefruit as a cool, refreshing snack on a hot summer day. Encourage consumers to add grapefruit to summertime salads.
• Sampling is a great way to get grapefruit moving. Offer samples of both pink and white varieties so consumers can taste the difference. You may gain some new grapefruit purchasers who were only familiar with the tarter white varieties before tasting the pink ones.

Dynamic Displays

• Pink and white varieties offer distinct flavors. Offer both to give consumers a wider assortment of choices. Offer seedless varieties for convenience.
• Grapefruit is the perfect fruit to stack, but keep those stacks low to avoid an avalanche.
• Grapefruit can take up a lot of space in your produce department. Extend its table space by adding bushel baskets in front of the table display. It puts the produce in the aisle where it can grab attention and creates an interesting visual display.
• Slice open a few pink grapefruits, overwrap them and place them on the display to add some contrast to your display.

Food Service

• Consider making grapefruit jelly or marmalade for a unique breakfast offering.
• Grapefruit juice has tenderizing qualities, which make it perfect to use in a marinade for meat.
• Sauteed grapefruit can be a tasty topping for chicken.
• Turn grapefruit peels into curls to use as a plate garnish. Grapefruit curls can also be added to the bottom of a wine or champagne glass for an attractive presentation.
• Shredded grapefruit peel can be added to sauces, salad dressings and fruit compotes for a little extra zing.
• Use hollowed out grapefruit shells to serve salad, cold soup or dip.
• Grapefruit wedges can replace lemon as a garnish for drinks.

In the Backroom

Shipping
50-lb. cartons, 10 5-lb. film bags 48-lb. cartons, 6 8-lb. film bags 40-lb. 4⁄5-bushel cartons/crates 40-lb. 7⁄10-bushel cartons (Texas) 34-lb. cartons (Arizona, California) 20-lb. 7⁄20 bushel cartons 17-lb. cartons (Arizona, California) 18-lb. bags 10-11-lb. cartons (single layer) (Arizona, California) 5-lb. bags 8 5-lb. bags 5 8-lb. bags (Texas) 4 10-lb. bags (Texas) RPC 6416, 6419, 6420, 6423, 6425, 6426

Grades
Florida U.S. Fancy U.S. No. 1 bright U.S. No. 1 U.S. No. 1 golden U.S. No. 1 bronze U.S. No. 1 russet U.S. No. 2 bright U.S. No. 2 U.S. No. 2 russet U.S. No. 3 California and Arizona U.S. Fancy U.S. No. 1 U.S. No. 2 U.S. Combination U.S. No. 3 Texas and other states U.S. Fancy Texas Fancy U.S. No. 1 bright U.S. No. 1 U.S. No. 1 bronze U.S. Combination Texas Choice U.S. No. 2 U.S. No. 2 russet U.S. No. 3

Handling
Temperature: California and Arizona, 50 to 55 F (10 to 13 C); Florida and Texas, 50 to 60 F, (10 to 16 C) Relative humidity: 85-90% Mist: no Typical shelf life: 28 to 42 days Susceptible to chilling injury. Damage sometimes is not apparent until the fruit is returned to a higher temperature. Long storage does not improve grapefruit quality. Decay and rind breakdown may occur as well as stem-end rot, particularly from crops grown in the Gulf States. Florida fruit that has been degreened with ethylene can be handled normally. Lower humidity levels can enhance rind breakdown.

Equivalents

1 medium grapefruit = about 2⁄3 cup juice 1 medium grapefruit = about 1 cup bite-size pieces 1 medium grapefruit = 10 to 12 sections 1 medium grapefruit = 3 to 4 tablespoons grated peel