Blemishes Are Beautiful on Pears
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson with today’s Fruit Grower Report. Pears are delicious and can be a healthy part of a diet, but getting consumers on board can be a challenge.
Pear Bureau Northwest President, CarrieAnn Arias says nutrition is definitely a big part of their new campaign, but the other piece is talking about how pears look and normalizing the appearance of a pear …
ARIAS … “Americans already eat with their eyes which makes produce a challenge to begin with. Imperfect fruit campaigns have happened all over the place because we’re wasting a lot of food because they look different.”
But pears, Arias says have always looked different …
ARIAS … “And the reality is that on shelves, they don’t look the same way as they did on the tree and the same way they maybe looked in the packing house. But we’re only showing consumers beautiful and perfect.”
So, Arias says they’re changing their approach …
ARIAS … “We’re really focusing on the idea of beauty marks or blemishes are beautiful to really help consumers understand that what that skin may look like on the outside because it has some abrasion from a tree limb or from transportation has nothing to do with what the fruit tastes like on the inside. It’s still delicious and nutritious and it doesn’t translate from outside to inside like it does with some of the other commodities.”
But back to the nutritional aspect …
ARIAS … “There’s a big trend on Instagram right now, it’s #fibermaxing, something we’re definitely leaning into because we can provide a lot of fiber in a diet, and it tastes good!”
To learn more, check out their website at www.usapears.org
