Fruits and vegetables are the new fast food

Steve Newell didn’t like tomatoes — until he started growing his own and the company he founded with his brother John, Delta-based Windset Farms, became the largest greenhouse grower in western North America. “Until we started producing our own, I never ate them, really,” said Newell. “Now I absolutely love them, especially our Concerto grape tomatoes.

“They’re my favourite,” he said Thursday, standing in his company’s large display area at the Canadian Produce Marketing Association’s annual convention and trade show.

At an event like the CPMA convention, Windset has to market all its products, from the peppers the Newells started out with in Abbotsford, to tomatoes, cucumbers and now, the first strawberries grown in greenhouses.

Fruits and vegetables are the new fast food — but healthier. “The trend is to high consumption of fruit and vegetables,” said Newell.

He said that Americans, who are among Windset’s prime customers, have reduced their caloric intakes for the last two years. As well, Canada’s Food Guide recommends Canadians eat five to 10 servings of fruit and vegetables daily. “Obviously, that trend is favourable to us,” said Newell.

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