Why Fruit Gets Short Shrift In US Diet

Vizu Corporation released the results of a client sponsored online survey that provides insight into why consumers fail to eat their recommended daily dose of fruit.

According to the poll, the factors that discourage fruit consumption include spoilage (47%), need for preparation (28%), stickiness and messiness (14%), and lack of crunch (11%). Respondents said they would eat more fruit if those problems could be overcome.

Numerous studies have shown that Americans fall short of the four daily servings of fruit recommended in the latest guidelines from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A survey published in April 2007 edition of The Journal of Preventative Medicine, for example, found that 72% of Americans fail to meet those recommendations.

"American consumers are driven by convenience. It's easier for them to open a bag of potato chips that doesn't spoil than to buy a pear that gets brown in a few days, peel an orange, or deal with the runny juice of a peach. That's what they're telling us in this online poll," said Matt Herzog, President of Funky Monkey Snacks. "If we want people to eat more fruit, it's going to have to be more convenient while maintaining the great taste and wholesomeness of fresh fruit."