Something's Kind of "Fruity" at the Grocery Store

By Paj Ntaub Vang


Every Friday for the past few months, you may have noticed a banana, a carrot, and a grape prancing around your local grocery store. They looked a little fruity, and you may have wondered what they were up to, but they were not advertising Fruit of the Loom underwear. So who were they and what were they doing?

They are from the Healthy People Wood County Obesity Prevention Team and they have partnered up with your local grocery stores to provide fresh produce to patrons in order to promote “Healthy Eating, Active Living” .

Through the Wisconsin Partnership for Activity and Nutrition (WI PAN) Grant, the Obesity Prevention Team provided tools and resources to four local grocery stores aiding them in providing healthy “Grab and Go” options for customers. These “Grab and Go” stands, located near the check out lanes, provide customers the option of fruit and healthy snacks instead of soda and candy bars when they are in a rush.


In addition to this, Grocery Store Taste Testing Kiosks were developed to remind the community how delicious healthy foods can be. Coupons for produce were provided to the grocery stores to distribute to their customers. Local Child Care Centers were also invited to visit grocery stores where kids learned about the healthy “grab and go” options, and sampled fruits and vegetables.

In March, the Obesity Prevention Team promoted citrus fruits in which grapefruit, oranges, and pineapples were tasted. In April, romaine lettuce, spinach, and salad bags were given away to promote fresh greens. In May, they promoted roots by giving out free bags of carrots, beets, and taste testing sweet potato soup. In June, they promoted berries, which was the most popular among the foods. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries were tasted while packages of these berries were given away.

In a Wood County self-reported study, 76% of residents reported eating less than 5 or more fruits and vegetables a day and 50% of residents reported being completely physically inactive. Heart disease and diabetes, associated with levels of overweight and obesity, have a high prevalence in Wood County. So, while doing these activities, our goal is to change how people think about food and making our community a healthier one to live in.

Watch out for more Taste Testing Kiosks at your local grocery store. Special thanks to the following grocery stores for their participation: IGA of Wisconsin Rapids, Festival Foods of Marshfield, Piggly Wiggly of Nekoosa, Baum’s Mercantile of Pittsville. Special thanks to the child care centers of Wood County for their participation: Port Edward's South Wood YMCA and Tender Loving Children's Center, Rudolph's Little Dears, St. Lawrence Early Childhoon Center in Wisconsin Rapids, Marshfield's Grace Lutheran Childcare, Christ Cares for Kids Childcare, and Childcare Centers of Marshfield.

I recently joined the Wood County Obesity Prevention Team at the beginning of June as an intern, from UW-Madison through the Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Community Health Internship Program. I had a great experience being the “grapes”. Even though kids punched and hugged me all day, when I saw the bright smiles on their faces as they ate their fruit, it was completely worth it.