The Dole Food Company, Inc. encourages Halloween revellers to carve a pineapple this year instead of a pumpkin due to a potential shortage and soaring pumpkin prices.
Pineapple-O’-Lantern, a program that promotes the nutrition and convenience benefits of pineapples, is expanding this year’s program to help stranded Halloween lovers without a pumpkin to carve.
Recent reports indicate that the U.S. may be facing a pumpkin shortage due to weather conditions, shipping problems, and a fungus in some areas.
According to USDA data, pumpkin prices are also rising compared to last year.
According to the USDA, a jack-o’-lantern pumpkin (called a Howden pumpkin) cost $5.17 during the second week of September, up 7% from the same time last year, when the same type of pumpkin cost $4.83.
Though pumpkins are grown throughout the U.S., Illinois harvests the most pumpkins.
According to the USDA, Illinois, California, Indiana, Michigan, Texas, and Virginia harvested more than 1 billion pumpkins last year.
Illinois harvests the most pumpkins among those top-producing states, though most of the crop (about 80%) goes for “pie filling or other processing purposes,” according to the USDA.
Illinois’ pumpkin crop, however, may not be as plentiful as it has been in the past due to a fungus.
California pumpkin growers are struggling due to the drought and, in some areas, migratory bird problems and a virus.
Dole’s nutrition and health communications manager, Melanie Marcus, said: “For years we’ve been encouraging fruit-loving families to try something new by carving a pineapple at Halloween and are now expanding our efforts in light of any possible pumpkin scarcity.”
“Of course, pineapples have an important nutritional profile and are so much easier to prepare and enjoy than pumpkins since you don’t have to cook them.”
Having low fat, no sodium and plenty of vitamins C and antioxidants, Marcus feels the fruit makes the perfect sweet treat after a night of trick-or-treating.
