Recent Survey Shows The Nostalgic Demand For Adult-Centered Fruit Cups

"Adulting," although a word that many may find annoying, is still a concept we're all familiar with: a kind of half-grudging acceptance of adult responsibilities, swirled with a soupcon of imposter syndrome and topped with a generous dollop of longing for simpler times and younger days. While you might think that this rather complex blend would be difficult for marketing purposes, such is apparently not the case. As per a recent survey commissioned by Del Monte, childhood nostalgia is one of the factors that drives consumer snacking preferences.

While that may be true, adult concerns also come into play, so people do want their snack choices to be nutritious. Not all products seemingly geared at the "kidult" market are all that healthy – McDonald's adult Happy Meal was pretty much just a Happy Meal, only bigger. Others, like low-carb, protein-rich Magic Spoon cereal, have obviously been designed with grown-up dietary concerns in mind. One type of snack that most adults seem to agree on, however, is on the healthier side: fruit and fruit cups are something that appeals to two-thirds of those surveyed. This, perhaps, must be taken with a grain or two of pectin, though, considering who commissioned the survey.

Del Monte, it appears, may have used its survey results to influence a few products called Fruit Refreshers. These fruit cups, which are partly set apart by the sleeker, almost vase-like shape of their packaging (more sophisticated than cute kiddie cups), are marketed as being the first fruit cups meant for grown-ups. No, these adult-oriented fruit cups aren't at all R-rated, nor do they contain booze, but the flavors do tend towards the trendy: peaches with honeysuckle, red grapefruit with guava, and pineapple-mango with prickly pear.

Dole, which is another major player in the fruit cup market, has yet to jump on board the adult fruit cup train as its flavors are all pretty standard ones: mandarin oranges, peaches, mangos, and cherries minus any floral flavorings. It does, however, highlight such information as being GMO-free and vitamin-rich so that eating its fruit cups, too, will seem like the responsible, grown-up thing to do.