Pick it! Try it! Like it! (PTL) is a direct education and social marketing intervention which aims to increase consumption of fruits and vegetables by providing consumer information on selecting and preparing fresh produce. PTL materials are filled with tips for selecting, exploring, and cooking a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. Factual information complements simple, healthy, and tested recipes. Integrated lessons with food preparation activities assists with increasing knowledge and skills for all ages. Colorful fact sheets, recipe cards, and educational videos provide educators and families with fun, engaging tools to enhance any dietary curriculum in a variety of settings.

Target Behavior: Healthy Eating

Intervention Type: Direct Education, Social Marketing 

PTL targets mothers, elementary/middle/high school youth (4th grade and up), rural residents and seniors at schools, food banks/pantries, health care, Indian Tribal Organizations, SNAP Offices, senior feeding sites, WIC Clinics, food stores and convenience food stores, and social service agencies. Intervention materials are available online and have been used in print form in South Dakota. Materials are relevant for any grocery stores and farmer’s markets, food pantries, WIC and other health clinics and schools.

Setting: Community, Retail, School

Age: Elementary, Middle School, High School, Pregnant/Breastfeeding Women, Parents/Mothers/Fathers, Adults, Older Adults, Homeless/Food Pantry Clients

Race/Ethnicity: All

PTL includes consumer education/marketing Pick it! Try it! Like it! materials on 43 different fruits and vegetables that are grown in the Upper Midwest. Components were designed to provide consumers with information on selecting and preparing fruits and vegetables. Recipe fact cards give brief tips on “picking” produce, “trying” it in a variety of ways, and “liking” it in a simple recipe. Optional detailed full page flyers add nutrition notes and information on several common varieties. Lesson plans provides insights into nutrient values and food preparation skills. Videos of recipes are provided along with market signage. Preservation fact sheets are available to assist with safe food practices and extending the availability of items off season.

PTL offers free download for each of 43 fruits and vegetables that can be grown in the Upper Midwest. PTL materials are designed to be easy to read and engaging. Online materials are also mobile friendly and can be accessed anywhere using a smartphone. Materials include: 

• Full page flyer with selection and beginning preparation tips, varieties available, nutrition facts and nutrient feature, and simple recipe featuring the fruit or vegetable 
• Lesson plan for ages fourth grade through adult.  
• Recipe card with abbreviated pick, try, like information 
• Audio-enhanced slide show of recipe being prepared 
• Signage for promotions 
• Lakota translation included for most items. Dakota translation and perspective available for those items with a Tribal historical use. 
• https://extension.sdstate.edu/pick-it-try-it-it-preserve-it

(Additional cards are included for wild crops used by Native American cooks in SD.)

Materials available at no cost.

The developers conducted a pilot study in South Dakota using pre/post surveys of shoppers in eight SNAP-Ed eligible grocery stores where PTL materials were on display for a period of 6 months.

• 20% of the respondents indicated that they had heard of Pick it! Try it! Like it!
• 31% recognized the logo; a significant increase from the pre-survey numbers.
• There was a slight increase in purchase of “other vegetables” from 1 serving to 1.3 servings during the implementation.
• 80% of respondents indicated that they like to try new recipes.

In addition direct observation by paraprofessionals revealed:

• Almost 100% of customers who sampled indicated positive reaction to the opportunity to sample healthy food and receive materials.
• 70% indicated intention to use the recipe with many showing evidence of the ingredients in their cart.

Evaluation Reports:

• Pick it! Try it! Like it!: A Grocery Store-Based Approach to Increasing Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in the February, 2015 issue of the Journal of Extension: https://archives.joe.org/joe/2015february/iw5.php
• Pick it! Try it! Like it! Grocery Store Sampling, 2014 Impact Statement: https://snapedtoolkit.org/app/uploads/Pick-It-Try-It-Like-it-Grocery-Store-Sampling-2014-Impact-Statement.pdf

Classification: Research-Tested

Based on the SNAP-Ed Evaluation Framework, the following outcome indicators can be used to evaluate intervention progress and success.

	Readiness and Capacity – Short Term (ST)	Changes – Medium Term (MT)	Effectiveness and Maintenance – Long Term (LT)	Population Results (R)
Individual	ST1, ST2, ST4	MT1, MT2
Environmental Settings	ST7
Sectors of Influence

A phone interview with store managers and farmers’ market managers was held 6-8 months after the materials were first distributed in their venues. Questions include: What did you like best about the PTL campaign?, Did you hear anything from the consumers about the cards?, Do you believe the recipe card impacted product sales?, Have you observed other benefits?, Were you able to perform any demonstrations of have samples prepared from the Try it! recipes?, Do you feel that the PTL program improved your own personal knowledge about fruits and vegetables?, Would you be interested in further utilizing PTL in your store?

Pick It! Try It! Like It!:

https://snaped.fns.usda.gov/success-stories/pick-it-try-it-it

 

Website: The PTL website (https://extension.sdstate.edu/pick-it-try-it-it–preserve-it) includes PTL materials and links to other services offered by South Dakota State University Extension.

Contact Person(s):

Samantha DeVaney – SNAP-Ed & EFNEP Program Manager

605-782-3290

samantha.devaney@sdstate.edu

 

*Updated as of August 28, 2023