Industry Viewpoint: Shaping healthier futures starts with us
Industry Viewpoint: Shaping healthier futures starts with us
As summer winds down and families settle into new routines, the back-to-school season presents a powerful opportunity — not just for academic success, but for planting the seeds of lifelong health.
This is a moment for the entire produce industry to invest in our collective future.
The Foundation for Fresh Produce prioritizes child nutrition because early access to fruits and vegetables is critical for lifelong health and development. With over 400 million children at risk of malnutrition globally, The foundation sees both a moral obligation and a scientific need to drive systemwide change through education, policy and access.
Recent data from the World Health Organization paints a sobering picture:
- 149 million under age 5 stunted (too short for their age)
- 45 million wasted (too thin for their height)
- 37 million overweight or obese
Undernutrition contributes to nearly half of all deaths in this age group and leads to long-term developmental, social and economic consequences, not only for individuals, but for entire communities and healthcare systems.
This isn’t just about what’s packed in a lunchbox or served at snack time. It’s about building habits, behaviors and values that ripple through families and communities.
This is our moment to act — and we’re calling on the industry to act with us.
Early exposure shapes behavior
Early exposure to fruits and vegetables doesn’t just prevent malnutrition, it builds lifelong healthy habits. It also:
- Shapes taste preferences: Repeated, positive exposure encourages produce enjoyment.
- Supports development: Fruits and vegetables fuel growth, boost brain function, strengthen immunity and support emotional well-being.
- Improves long-term outcomes: Early healthy eating habits are linked to reduced risk of chronic disease later in life.
Why the produce industry should care
A focus on child nutrition isn’t only for better public health — it’s a business growth strategy. Consumers are seeking healthier, trustworthy and convenient options. Fruits and vegetables need to be at the center of the conversation. Here’s why:
- Kids influence household purchasing, from the grocery aisle to what’s served at home and seen on screens.
- Early exposure creates brand familiarity and preferences that last a lifetime.
- Shared family meals reinforce healthy habits — and September’s National Family Meals Month is the perfect time to show how produce strengthens everyday connection and nourishment.
If we don’t step into our role as stewards of public health, someone else will. Other food industries are actively filling the gap, shaping taste preferences and building loyalty with the next generation.
The produce industry must take the lead.
September presents an opportunity
National Fruits & Veggies Month and National Family Meals Month create a dual moment to show how fruits and vegetables nourish families, bring people together and belong every time you eat. Here’s how you can take action:
- Use The Foundation’s NFVM toolkit to share unified messaging and turnkey materials: www.fruitsandveggies.org/nfvmtoolkit.
- Tell your brand’s story: Show how your products help people build healthy habits across the lifespan.
- Partner to expand access: Collaborate with school and community gardens, hunger relief organizations or youth programs that give kids hands-on, positive experiences with produce.
If we want to drive sustainable increases in produce consumption, we must start with kids. Their early experiences with fruits and vegetables shape not just personal health outcomes, but public health trajectories and the future growth of our industry.
