Is Fresh-Cut Worth the Price

Don’t let the headline scare you or make you write nasty e-mails to Fresh Cut magazine or me. Yes, they definitely are worth the price. But because the cost of food has received so much negative press lately, I would like to offer a compromise for you to tell people who feel that fresh-cut items are way too expensive to purchase on a regular basis.

Now that summer is in full swing, eating habits around the country have changed. Lighter, hopefully healthier foods are being consumed. I know we tend to eat considerably more fresh fruit in the summer and try to eat all the local food we can. With prices for food rising so quickly, families are stretching their food dollars as never before. Spam is flying off the shelves – but maybe those folks should consider some alternatives to that product.

Normally, an economy in a recession might mean a downturn for fresh-cut produce since the price points are generally higher than if you bought a whole item yourself. But I challenge you to ask, are you really saving money by purchasing whole items versus fresh-cut? Or do customers actually waste food (and money) by not consuming everything they purchase? How many times have you looked in your refrigerator and said, “Gee, I forgot we had those heads of lettuce,” only to find they had expired?

Watermelon

Let me lead with maybe not the best item to consider, but nevertheless, the reason I started thinking about this situation: watermelon. I think of watermelon when the weather gets warmer. Really, there’s no need to do this because it is available year-round, like most items today. And, my friend Mark Arney, the executive director of the National Watermelon Promotion Board in Orlando, would certainly encourage me to say that.

On a recent shopping trip, we bought a whole watermelon. It was a small melon so I figured it would be eaten in just a few days. Didn’t happen. We had a few slices, and while they were good – juicy, flavorful and not loaded with seeds – the melon sat in the refrigerator too long to eat it again.

Compare this to the bowl of fresh-cut fruit I purchased from our local store the next week. Gone in two days. Great taste and no waste. Plus, in addition to the watermelon chunks, I had several other fruits including cantaloupe, honeydew, pineapple and blueberries.

Yes, the bowl of fresh-cut fruit was more expensive per pound, but I have a problem with wasting food. And while the whole watermelon was delicious, I wanted different tastes, not just one flavor for several days. Therefore, a variety of tastes and 100 percent usable product offers a real value.

Lettuce Variety

The same theory applies to the different varieties of lettuce available. Bagged salads, the first fresh-cut item to gain consumer acceptance, now come in so many varieties you can eat a different one for at least two weeks and never repeat. Whether it contains iceberg or romaine, or a combination of lettuces, we enjoy a variety of flavors.

And beyond variety of commodities – there’s even better news on bagged salad kits. A Caesar salad kit easily can be consumed by a family of four in one sitting – sometimes even two people can eat an entire bag. No waste at all. Yes, it costs more, but they throw in the dressing, croutons and cheese, and again, the variety becomes the value.

Is there some middle ground the industry can work on instead of having consumers buy a whole product or a large quantity of fresh-cut items to save money in tight economic times? Maybe it’s producing smaller fresh-cut packages that consumers will try. Or using fresh-cut ingredients as snacks such as Disney Garden’s’ Foodles or enhancement to a meal such as Apio’s Eat Smart line-up of vegetable salad kits.

Fresh-Cut Conundrum

The fresh-cut industry has always faced many obstacles, most of which have been overcome. Now, the newest one – rising petroleum prices – has increased your film and electrical costs. Many fixed costs have risen to the point where it is affecting your bottom line. Plus, transportation rates have been increasing for months now, leading wholesalers and retailers to raise their prices. Eventually, consumers pay. It certainly is a vicious cycle.

I have been reading that more and more people are trying to grow their own vegetables this summer. While that is a good idea, the truth is most people will not do this. And the ones who do will find that it is more difficult than they thought or they will be giving or throwing away a lot of what they grow, speaking from personal experience. Just how many zucchinis can a family eat? A lot less than they can grow, I guarantee it.

We will get through the current economic state and people will get used to paying more for gas and food. The real question is: Can the produce industry – and fresh-cut providers – help in the long run? Is there a way to compromise and make fresh-cut items, in the consumer’s eyes, a value? Let’s hope so.

Marty Nicholson is a partner with Edith Garrett & Associates, a consulting firm specializing in helping the produce industry with third-party food safety audit preparation, fresh-cut product development, market research, marketing strategies and advertising plans. For more information, call 828-684-3686 or visit www.edithgarrett.com.


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