—by Matt Milkovich
U.S. apple consumption continues to decline, a fact the apple industry can’t afford to ignore.
How to deal with declining consumption was a major topic at RidgeFest 2024, the annual field day held by the Michigan Pomesters. Kari Soldaat, director of sales at Riveridge Produce, the largest apple packer and marketer in Michigan, and Julie DeJarnatt, brand manager at Chelan Fresh, a major packer and marketer in Washington, told the RidgeFest audience about the Apple Consumption Project, an industrywide effort that’s just getting off the ground.
“We want a collaborative consumer-marketing campaign focused on driving fresh apple consumption in the domestic market,” DeJarnatt said. “We need to show that the industry is united on this, and then we’re going to benefit on a nationwide scale.”
The Apple Consumption Project seeks grower participation from every state and region. There are no plans to charge assessments or taxes, Soldaat said.
Fremont, Michigan, grower Eric Roossinck, one of the RidgeFest hosts, is excited about the project — especially the fact it won’t include grower assessments.
“We have umpteen challenges we face all the time as growers,” he told the audience. “I encourage you guys to look at this more and get behind it.”
The project started last fall, after DeJarnatt floated the idea to industry stakeholders.
“This is something we maybe should have recognized a few years ago, so we wouldn’t be in the situation we’re in today,” Soldaat said.
The current oversupply of U.S. apples and shrinking export percentages are contributing to the low prices hurting the industry today, but declining consumption is a longer-term problem that needs to be addressed. Nearly one-third of U.S. households don’t purchase apples at all, she said.
The first question the project is tackling: Why are consumers not choosing apples anymore?
“They’re telling us they prefer other fruits,” Soldaat said. “They’re telling us apples are too expensive. They’re also telling us, even with all the rising restrictions and regulations and so forth, they’re feeling the quality is not where it used to be.”
Many consumers say they can’t find the varieties they want. The industry is focusing more on a handful of core varieties, while consumers who prefer legacy varieties are having a harder time finding them, Soldaat said.
Consumers also are hearing “a lot of noise” from organizations that tell them they shouldn’t buy apples — they’re even hearing that message from other fruit categories, she said.
“Now is the time for us to take our voice back and really push the category forward,” Soldaat said.
DeJarnatt told the RidgeFest audience that about 131 growers have joined the effort so far, from nearly every growing state, and they’re “flagging” about 200 outside partners as potential donors. •
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