The year was 1953.
It may have been the start of backchannel talks on a United Fresh/PMA merger, but it was definitely the year that my first boss and mentor helped a then 27-year-old firm founded by Amy Vanderbilt—one of the first female-owned PR agencies in 1926—embark on a decades-long legacy in the fresh produce industry.
This draft proposal is a time capsule I unearthed from the bottom of Anita Fial’s filing cabinet upon her retirement. Fial was an early victim of the COVID-19 pandemic, and passed away from complications last April at age 87.
Looking back to the insight from 68 years ago can make a modern marketer crazy, as it points to positioning we still fight for today.
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“Be a treat to eat, never a treatment.”
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“You can’t improve on nature.”
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“People don’t eat to live, they live to eat.”
Yes, it acknowledges the power of nutrition messaging, but also understands that pleasure, convenience, flavor, value, and availability are just as important.
The proposal calls out “America’s obesity problem” and the “existing public sympathy and favor for fresh produce,” but it also speaks to the need to educate people on proper seasoning and flavoring. It calls out the need for the industry to tell its own story over and over again with positive messaging. It really lays out the strategy many continue to deploy.
There is no doubt that the industry has moved forward, but if it takes another 68 years to see this level of progress, we may all be eating Jetson-style meal pills.
PBH has tapped into the emotion. PMA launched the Joy of Fresh. Many brands and innovative associations have moved beyond health-first messaging. I am not without fault. One of my first projects for the US Highbush Blueberry Council was a primer on antioxidants and carotenoids for registered dietitians in 1999. I have no doubt that their position as a superfood drove coverage and consumption, but we learned that the health halo only took us so far.
The mid-twentieth century proposal identifies technical innovations like the rise of pressure cooking and home freezing that the industry should take advantage of. We may be entering a golden age of produce consumption with long-term thinking, and I hope the merger of United Fresh and PMA builds that bridge from grower to marketer.
We see competing technologies that reduce spoilage; efforts to make affordable produce available to more people; increased convenience for those lacking time or skill; and more ideas for delicious usages than we can ever make in a lifetime.
So where do we want to be in 68 years?
Looking at this 35-year period we see marginal gains, but largely flat. Admittedly, fruits and vegetables were a more mature market in 1953, than say, Coca Cola or Lay’s, but if you compare their growth–or per capita sugar consumption for that matter–we see a much different change. How do we unflatten this curve?
This industry too often participates in a circling firing squad. We battle over produce dollars rather than food dollars. We see the purchase of a sweet potato as one less purchase of a russet. Asparagus vs Brussels sprouts. Raspberries vs strawberries. Fresh vs frozen. As they say, a rising tide raises all boats. Let’s push for a rainbow wave of produce.
Ultimately, we are all trying to get fruits and vegetables from the fields and orchards to plates and mouths. I’ve spent a good deal of time packing and handing out boxes for Brighter Bites these past months. Typically, the produce donations are the off sized yields that retail buyers reject. For the people receiving these boxes of misfit food, they could care less if the apples are small or the beets are the size of your head. It is a box of hope that the entire industry should be proud to deliver.
Jason Stemm is founder of The Stemm Group, bringing over 22 years of experience marketing fruits and vegetables. You can read more by signing up for his free newsletter, Peach Perfect.
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May 19, 2021 at 09:00PM
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Increasing fresh produce consumption: a familiar struggle – Produce Blue Book - Produce Blue Book
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