fast food, convenience meals, and ultra-processed snacks dominate young people’s diets, the challenge of promoting healthy eating has never been greater. Agriculture, particularly the fruit and vegetable sector, is facing a significant hurdle: how to make fresh, natural produce appealing to younger generations who are often more drawn to the quick, hyper-palatable, and heavily marketed alternatives.
The Decline of Fruit & Veg Consumption
Despite growing awareness of the importance of a balanced diet, fruit and vegetable consumption among young people remains worryingly low. Many factors contribute to this trend, including:
- The Convenience Factor – Processed foods are easy, cheap, and designed to be addictive. In contrast, fresh produce often requires preparation, peeling, or cooking—an extra effort that many young people, particularly those with busy lifestyles, find unappealing.
- Marketing & Branding Disparity – Junk food brands invest billions in advertising, using bright packaging, celebrity endorsements, and engaging social media campaigns to capture young audiences. Meanwhile, fresh produce suffers from a lack of creative branding and remains underrepresented in modern marketing channels.
- The ‘Boring’ Perception – Many young people see fruit and vegetables as bland or uninspiring compared to the intense flavours of processed foods loaded with sugar, salt, and fat.
- Cost Misconceptions – There’s a common belief that eating healthily is expensive. While premium organic produce can be costly, basic fruit and vegetables are often more affordable than many assume. However, the perception persists.
What Needs to Change?
If we want to make healthy eating fashionable and encourage younger generations to choose fruit and vegetables over processed alternatives, a fundamental shift in strategy is needed. Here’s how we can change the narrative:
1. Rebranding Fresh Produce
Fruits and vegetables need a marketing makeover. If sugary drinks and crisps can be packaged as exciting, trendy, and must-have items, why not apples, carrots, or blueberries? The key is to highlight their natural benefits in a way that speaks to modern lifestyles—focusing on energy, beauty, fitness, and overall wellbeing. Social media influencers, dynamic branding, and appealing packaging could make a real difference.
2. Making It More Convenient
Pre-cut, ready-to-eat fruit and vegetable snack packs should be as readily available as crisps and chocolate bars. Whether in vending machines, supermarkets, or corner shops, fresh produce should be placed front and centre, with smart, easy-to-carry packaging that suits an on-the-go lifestyle.
3. Leveraging Social Media & Trends
Young people live online, and if something isn’t trending on social media, it barely exists in their world. Creative campaigns, viral challenges, and influencer partnerships that make fruit and veg ‘cool’ could have a huge impact. Imagine TikTok challenges based around creating the most colourful fruit bowls or smoothie combinations—fun, engaging, and easy to share.
4. Educating Through Experience
Hands-on experiences can be a game-changer. School gardens, farm visits, cooking workshops, and interactive food challenges can help children and teenagers develop a real connection with fresh produce. When young people are actively involved in growing or preparing food, they’re far more likely to appreciate and consume it.
5. Collaborating with Food Industry Innovators
More plant-based and fruit-forward innovations need to hit the shelves. Brands that create exciting fruit-based snacks, natural energy bars, and flavour-packed veggie meals that appeal to young people’s taste buds will be instrumental in this shift. Fast-food chains could also play a role by making fruit and veg a standard (and appealing) option in meals.
A Sustainable Future Depends on It
Beyond health, encouraging young people to consume more fruit and vegetables is crucial for the future of sustainable agriculture. Increased demand for fresh, locally sourced produce supports farmers, reduces reliance on mass-produced, ultra-processed foods, and promotes environmental sustainability.
The challenge is significant, but with the right approach, fresh produce can reclaim its place at the centre of young people’s diets. If fruit and vegetables can be positioned as exciting, accessible, and aspirational, the next generation may finally start to see healthy eating as the default, not the exception.
What do you think? How can we make fruit and veg more appealing to young people? We’re to help!
Discover more from naralimon
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
