CHARLOTTE, NC - Can you feel the Halloween spirit in the air? It surrounds us here in Northern California, with produce departments across the country getting their spook on. Dole Food Company is joining in on the action, encouraging shoppers to adorn their doorsteps with a show-stopping carved pineapple.
“For years, we’ve been encouraging fruit-loving families to try something new by carving a pineapple at Halloween and are now expanding our efforts in light of any possible pumpkin scarcity,” said Melanie Marcus, RD, MA, Dole’s Nutrition and Health Communications Manager. “Of course, pineapples have an important nutritional profile and are so much easier to prepare and enjoy than pumpkins since you don’t have to cook them.”
The supplier’s Pineapple-O’-Lantern initiative was originally created to promote the nutrition and convenience benefits of the ubiquitous tropical fruit synonymous with Dole’s origins in Hawaii. In addition to promoting a special recipe, its Pineapple Jack-O’-Lantern and Bountiful Fruit Salad with Orange-Mint Dressing, Dole is offering free, downloadable pineapple Jack-O’-Lantern carving templates on its website to make the process as fun, safe, and easy as possible.
According to Marcus, the fruit is low in fat and sodium and high in vitamin C and antioxidants, making it an ideal sweet treat after a night of trick-or-treating, a press release stated. With the current pumpkin market posing challenges, this produce aisle offering can help continue to drive grocery foot traffic.
Marcus recommends Dole’s Pineapple Braised Slow Cooker Chicken and Pineapple-Turmeric Smoothie as other fall favorites. She offers tips for planning a healthier Halloween in her blog post on the Dole website and points to new studies showing that childhood obesity rose during the pandemic, which is one driver behind Dole’s expanded healthy Halloween focus this year.
Make this Halloween a healthy one by drawing shoppers to the produce department with new and exciting merchandising opportunities like this.
