Fruit salad days

Prepared Foods, May, 2005

The 2005 edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommended two cups of fruit per day, based on a 2,000-calorie diet, and fast-food restaurants are jumping at the chance to help consumers fill that requirement. In the process, they are creating a major upsurge in the fruit and vegetable market. Wendy's (Dublin, Ohio) now offers a fruit bowl and cup, offering fresh cantaloupe, honeydew melon and pineapple chunks, red seedless grapes and a low-fat, strawberry-flavored yogurt as a dip. The bowl fulfills the daily recommendation, while the cup gives half the amount.

Similarly, McDonald's (Oak Brook, Ill.) has launched Apple Dippers, 10 or so peeled apple slices packed with a caramel dip. With the launch, the company became the nation's number-one apple-buying restaurant chain--virtually overnight. Combined with a forthcoming apple salad, McDonald's may wield too much control, some growers fear. The concern is that the presence of such powerful chains could alter the method and scale of production, as well as the varieties of apples produced.