Where?
Fruit can be enjoyed anywhere. Take your fruits on the go! Pack up for picnics, school lunches, the playground, park, or beach. When kids are outside and active, they build up a great appetite. They can choose from the healthy fruits you bring and skip the vending machine or fast food stop. Kids also love to see and taste what their friends are eating. Talk to your parent-friends and plan to bring an age-appropriate fruit snack to share. You may be surprised at what your child will eat when out and about!

When?

Offer fruit every day.
Include fruit at breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner.
Use snack time to offer fruit and make up for any gaps. For example, if your child was too full to eat fruit at lunchtime, offer it later as a snack.
Dessert is another great way to offer fruit. Kids love naturally sweet fruit after a meal. Check out Health eKitchen for some awesome and sweet natural fruit recipes.
Eat fruits that are in season. Fruits in season can taste better and cost less. What is in season? This website will help (opens in new tab).

Did You Know?

Most frozen and canned foods are processed within hours of harvest. This means their flavor and nutritional value are similar to fresh. Avoid canned foods that have heavy syrup or additional salt.

How?

Fresh. Always rinse before eating, prepping, or cooking. Let kids arrange raw fruits into a fun shape or design. Kids may try foods they avoided before if they helped prepare them.
Frozen. Frozen produce is quick and easy. You can skip the washing or slicing.
Pureed. Great in baked goods, on pancakes, or in smoothies.
Dried. Great for older kids and when you are on the go.
Canned. Keep cans of fruit in your pantry. Save them for emergencies and have on hand if you run out of fresh or frozen. Also, use canned fruit in recipes. Canned produce is “cooked” prior to packaging, so they are recipe ready. Ask your child to pick a new fruit recipe. Offer a variety of fruits and let kids help based on their age and skill.
Blended. Make a smoothie by blending fat-free or low-fat yogurt or milk with fruit pieces and crushed ice. Use fresh, frozen, canned, and even overripe fruits. Try bananas, berries, peaches, and/or pineapple. If you freeze the fruit first, you can even skip the ice!
Dip. Kids love to dip their foods. Fruit chunks go great with a yogurt dip. No matter where, when, and how you enjoy fruit, do it together!

Make it fun and kid-friendly. Make up silly songs and read stories about fruits. You can find books about fruits at your library. Check out these fun kid activities.

Video

Would you like to learn more about safe handling of produce? Choose from the videos below:

Safe Handling of Fruits and Vegetables (4-minutes)

Food Safety in Seconds: 4 Steps Is All It Takes To Prevent Illness (1-minute)