More than a quarter of fruit-buying consumers say they struggle to fit enough fruit in their diet, according to Mintel’s Fruit US 2017 report. Consumers are generally interested in trying new and innovative fruit products, and retail fruit brands can learn what chefs are doing with fruit to identify trends, as well as opportunities for product innovation and marketing.

Fruit is trending at restaurants, with the overall growth of fruit as an ingredient on menus increasing 3% from Q4 2015 to Q4 2017. Among the top 10 most menued fruits (as an ingredient), avocados, strawberries and lemons experienced strong growth, increasing 10%, 6% and 14% on menus respectively. Avocados have been trending in recent years due to their versatility in recipes and their reputation of being a source of “good fats.”