Over the last two years, I have really been trying to eat more fruits and vegetables and I have been trying to share great ideas with you. Discovering new foods has been exciting and refreshing as I’ve tried to increase the amount of fruits and vegetables we eat at my house. Last year, when I heard someone talk about #FreshSummit, a whole convention and expo devoted to fruits and vegetables I knew I had to go.

Fresh Summit Convention & Expo is the premier event for the global fresh produce and floral supply chain.  In essence it is a trade show for fresh produce & floral producers and companies, over 1,000 exhibitors and over 15,000 people.

As someone who loves fresh produce, going to Fresh Summit was like a trip to Disney world.  There were amazing recipes that included everything from cauliflower rice to fruit pizza to guacamole covered hot dogs (this was really out of my comfort zone, but it was surprisingly good).

The biggest issue I run into when I am trying to eat more fruits and vegetables is knowing how to create new meals with them.  Walking the aisles and seeing all of the options gave me tons of great ideas.  I got tons of great ideas and I also got great recipes that I can’t wait to try and share.

One of my favorite parts of the convention was seeing companies who seemed to understand what customers like myself were looking for.  Here are some of the amazing trends that came from the convention that I believe you will be happy to see.

Convenience Is Key

Grab on the go is a big deal and it’s a trend that is crossing into almost every market, especially fresh produce.  Whether you want to encourage your kids to think about snacking differently or if you just want to make better and fresher option more convenient, the industry is listening.  I saw to-go strawberry packs, tons of snack size dried fruits, to-go cups of tomatoes, miniature cucumbers, and single serve hummus and guacamole is going to be everywhere.

Making Eating Healthy Easier, Especially When It Comes To Meal Preparation.  

I saw some of the cutest packages of veggies that I have ever seen at #FreshSummit this year.  If you have been thinking about trying Cauliflower rice they had packages where all you had to do was add the seasoning and you were ready to eat in 15 minutes or less.  They have packaged vegetable noodles for just about anything that you want to try beets, carrots, zucchini, sweet potatoes, potatoes.  This will drastically cut your time in the kitchen just wait until you start to see all these items hit your supermarkets.

Meal Packs And Marinades That Are Convenient And They Taste Great 

This is an especially exciting trend because most of us don’t have tons of time to cook.  Meal packs that only required pairing your items with a meat or a few small steps are true time savors and vegetable and fruit producers are really thinking about how to serve the consumer better.

I saw these make your own sauce from scratch kits that I can’t wait to find in my supermarket.  I also had a chance to taste this vegetable marinade that I wanted to buy right there on the showroom floor.  These packages made a broccoli that was so mouth watering my taste buds are still singing.

Bringing Some Extra Excitement To The Fruit Segment Are New Unique Flavors Or Fruits From Other Countries

Fruits from other countries or new spins on traditional fruits are making eating healthy fun and exciting.  I saw so many new fruits or fruits with a twist I couldn’t believe it.  The “Grapple” for instance is an apple that taste a little like a grape.  It’s done through some type of proprietary process, the smell and the look were completely different.  The golden kiwi was another sweet surprise, I stumbled on this in the store about three weeks before I went down to Fresh Summit and I fell in love with the flavor.  I have been searching high and low for these since I had my first one.  I had a chance to try both red and yellow dragonfruit, both were great and it will be awesome to see them both in stores soon.

Fresh Summit was an amazing opportunity, but what excites me the most was all the new companies I met and all of the great products I got to taste.  This will translate into years and years of healthy eating for me and my family.

To find out more about Fresh Summit and PMA  (Produce Marketing Association).

SaveSave