It's been a promising start to the year for the Coral Gables, Fla.-based Fresh Del Monte, with the newly released Dietary Guidelines for Americans placing a strong emphasis on fruits and vegetables, and the company's recently won bid to acquire assets from the California-based Del Monte Foods Corporation.
To learn how Fresh Del Monte sees the new food pyramid influencing the fresh produce department at retail and what its pending acquisition of Del Monte assets could mean for the fresh produce company, The Packer connected with Danny Dumas, senior vice president of sales, marketing and product management for Fresh Del Monte.
The new guidelines place produce and proteins at the widest part of the inverted pyramid, signaling they should be the foundation of every meal. How does Fresh Del Monte plan to adjust its marketing or product mix to address this shift? Are you planning on new products or packaging as a result?
Dumas: The updated guidelines reinforce a direction we're already moving toward. At Fresh Del Monte, we see this less as a pivot and more as an acceleration.
From a marketing standpoint, we expect to place greater emphasis on how fresh produce anchors everyday meals by highlighting vegetables and fruits as meal builders, not just ingredients.
On the product side, we're continually evaluating how packaging, formats and assortments can make it easier for consumers to meet these expectations. That includes portion-appropriate packaging and formats that support convenience without compromising freshness or quality.
With the 2026 guidelines recommending three servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit daily for a 2,000-calorie diet, do you anticipate this influencing how produce departments are merchandised or the product mix in-store?
Yes, we expect this to influence how produce departments are merchandised. Clear, numerical guidance gives retailers a stronger foundation to rethink layout, signage and cross-merchandising. We anticipate seeing produce departments organized more intentionally around daily eating patterns, for example, vegetables grouped by meal occasion or usage rather than just by category.
Over time, this may also influence the mix on-shelf, with more space dedicated to everyday staples, versatile vegetables and high-rotation fruits that support repeat consumption rather than occasional purchase.
The MAHA initiative also emphasizes food as medicine and nutrient density. Some in the produce industry are concerned the “food as medicine” messaging takes away from the flavor, joy and vibrancy of fresh fruits and vegetables. Where does Fresh Del Monte stand?
We support the idea that food plays a critical role in long-term health, but we don't believe that it has to come at the expense of joy, flavor or experience. Fresh fruits and vegetables are powerful precisely because they are both nourishing and enjoyable. This is clear from our mission statement: to inspire healthy lifestyles by providing wholesome and convenient products to everyone, everywhere.
We focus on growing and delivering produce at peak quality because when food tastes better, people eat more of it.
How can the fresh produce industry use the new guidelines to drive increased consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables?
Increased consumption won't come from telling people to eat more produce but by making produce easier to choose, easier to use and easier to enjoy every single day.
As an industry, we must reduce friction at every step of the journey — from discovery to preparation to consumption. Shoppers should feel confident selecting produce, inspired by how to use it and rewarded by how it tastes. When fruits and vegetables feel approachable, intuitive and consistently satisfying, they become diet staples.
The industry's role, then, is to simplify decision-making, spark inspiration and remove barriers — not through more messaging alone, but through better experiences in-store, at home and at the table.
SNAP benefits don't currently include value-added produce such as precut items or salads that come with a fork. What is Fresh Del Monte's position, and do you think this will remain the case moving forward?
If fresh produce is truly the foundation of the diet, then formats that make it easier to consume, including certain value-added options, should be available for all.
While policy decisions sit outside our control, we have made progress but believe there's room for thoughtful evolution here. The long-term goal should be to remove barriers to fresh produce consumption, especially for households balancing time, cost and nutrition.
Earlier this month, Fresh Del Monte Produce won a bid to acquire select assets of the California-based Del Monte Foods Corporation for $285 million. If the sale hearing, scheduled for Jan. 28 closes, the transaction will bring the Del Monte brand under a single owner for the first time in nearly four decades. How would the acquisition further support Fresh Del Monte's abilities to reach consumers with new food pyramid-friendly foods?
The potential purchase of Del Monte Foods' assets allows us even more ways to offer consumers quality fruits and vegetables in a convenient way. It expands our portfolio of produce, adding prepared and packed vegetables and refrigerated fruit.
Ultimately, it helps us deliver high-quality fruits and vegetables, consistently and at scale, in ways that align with how people are being encouraged to eat now and in the future.
