Educating the produce shopper

The debut of a new Web site coincides with the start of a campaign to encourage fruit and vegetable consumption.

By WAVENEY ANN MOORE

© St. Petersburg Times, published August 30, 2000

Ever wondered how many seeds are on the skin of a strawberry?

How about something a little more sensible, like what is the purpose of those pesky produce department misters that go off each time you get ready to grab a lettuce?

The answers to these questions and more can be found on a new Web site, http://www.aboutproduce.com, being launched Sept. 10 by the folks who grow our produce.

The goal is to provide credible information to shoppers, said Kathy Means, vice president of the Produce Marketing Association.

"Not just credible but comprehensive information on everything from how to choose and handle fresh produce to frequently asked questions such as why do they have misters in the produce section (to retain freshness) and to provide fun facts such as how many seeds are on a strawberry (more than 200)," Ms. Means said.

To the baffled, she added, "You never know when these things are going to come in handy."

The Web site's debut coincides with the start of National 5 A Day Week, a program to encourage Americans to eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

"It's a time when we can all renew our commitment to eat more produce, to be healthier," Ms. Means said. ". . . People are not up to their five a day yet."

The week is being sponsored by the National Cancer Institute and the Produce for Better Health Foundation.

In Florida, Publix stores will participate in a monthlong 5 A Day promotion, teaming fruits and vegetables with several manufactured products.

Though such promotions have been successful, there is still quite a bit to do to get Americans to eat their fruits and veggies, Robb Enright, public relations director for the Produce for Better Health Foundation, said.

"The goal is to reach an average consumption of five a day by the end of this year," he said. "The latest research we have is that the average consumption increased from 3.9 servings per day in 1991, when the program began, and it increased to 4.4 servings per day by 1994."

More ethnic cooking, with its emphasis on fresh fruit and vegetables, has fueled consumption, Ms. Means said. Additionally, larger quantities of produce have become more readily available because of better storage, imports and improved varieties.

Eating the suggested number of daily servings is not as forbidding as it sounds, Enright said.

"People ask what is a serving, and they think it's this huge bucket, but actually it's a lot smaller than you think," he said.

For example, Enright added, a serving could be a medium-sized fruit or 6 ounces of 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice. It even could be half a cup of canned or cooked vegetables or fruit.

Produce

In season this month are apples, avocados, snap beans, cabbage, cauliflower, corn, cucumbers, grapes, mangoes, melons, okra, pears, bell peppers, summer squash, watermelons, honeydews, cantaloupes, limes, okra and pomegranates.

New this month: pomegranates.

End of season: peaches, nectarines and plums grown in the United States.

Shopping tip: When buying pomegranates, shop for large, heavy fruits.

Seafood

It's Florida lobster season again. September also brings brown shrimp from Texas. In addition, there should be plenty of farm-raised salmon from Chile and grouper from Florida.

Don Leak, owner of Mid Peninsula Seafood, a market and restaurant at 400 49th St. S in St. Petersburg, said the Florida lobster season has been good so far. Prices should be around $21 a pound for lobster tails, he said.

The opening of brown shrimp season is good news, and the additional supply could mean a drop in price for all shrimp, he said.

"We should be looking for around $9.99 a pound for extra-large shrimp and for medium, about $7.99," he said.

This shrimp looks different from Florida's pink version, but, Leak said, "They are every bit as tasty but not quite as pretty as our Florida shrimp. In the raw state, they look brown. (But) they cook up the same pretty color."

Leak said grouper fillets should sell for about $8.99 a pound this month, while snapper fillets should cost around $6.99 a pound.

The price of Chilean farm-raised salmon will be about $6.50 a pound for fillets.

September will be a good month for seafood, Leak said, cautioning that bad weather could play havoc with his forecast. Wind and rain could keep boats at home, reduce supplies and send prices soaring.

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