Steven Helmer Publications

My wife and I made our monthly trip to Costco yesterday morning and, since we didn't have to worry about buying school lunch items, had a little extra wiggle room in our budget to try some new things. This happened to be one of the items that ended up in our shopping cart. I made this purchase primarily for my oldest daughter, who isn't a big fresh fruit person but will snack on dried fruit when it is put in front of her. At first, the $9.99 price for this bag was a little bit of a turnoff and I had to think it over for a minute or so. Then, realizing I usually pend about $3 on a much-smaller bag that lasts her one sitting, I decided it was a good deal. And, after trying them last night, I have to say I don't regret the purchase. I usually have two major concerns when it comes to dried fruit products like this one. The first is the flavor. While most claim not to add sugar, I've purchased more than my fair share of dried fruit that was way too sweet to be natural...

While not necessarily an original idea (I've seen it done in other towns), one of our local grocery stores took the initiative last week and added this free fruit display, so parents can give their young kids a healthy snack while they are shopping. I would still love to see them take this a step further and not put an age limit on who can have a piece of free fruit (it's currently at 12). But, it's a start.