ORLANDO, Fla. – By making healthier options more convenient and easier to find in a retail setting, retailers can help families cook healthier meals, according to Trish James, vice president of Orlando-based Produce for Kids.

“The next important step, which some retailers are starting to do, is merchandising to families by creating destination displays that allow parents to run in and pick up everything they need — quickly,” James told The Packer.

“To have a display of clementines or apple snacks, something I can grab for the kids, so I don’t have go down the fish aisle first, I’d love to see that,” she added, noting that dedicated displays would also “encourage the kids to fuel their bodies with healthy fruits and veggies when they’re playing sports.”

James continued, explaining that that retailers can also provide solutions that help parents solve the “What’s for dinner?” dilemma. For example, the news source notes that at the Southeast Produce Council’s Southern Exposure event in February, Produce for Kids created an entire display that featured all the ingredients needed for a turkey skillet dinner: ground turkey, vegetables, canned beans and spices.

“Consumers could grab the recipe and everything they needed right there, increasing that person’s market basket by $10 to $15 without having to go anywhere else in the store,” she said. “Retailers need to understand that people’s time in the grocery store is getting more and more limited … so having displays and merchandising throughout the produce department that allow them to grab-and-go what they need is so important.”