It is no secret produce is a top priority among commissary shoppers. They have said so time and again, in survey after survey. And, produce is a top priority at the Defense Commissary Agency, so much so, in fact, that DeCA sends out a traveling produce assistance team to help commissaries with improvements to their produce departments. Gen. Robert J. Courter Jr., DeCA director. If you can attract people to your store for produce, they will stay and shop for all of their grocery needs.
Many stores already know how to get produce right.
Now, it is just a matter of getting it right everywhere, Courter said. That is where the produce assistance team plays a major role. DeCA guards the travel schedules of its produce assistance team like national security state secrets. That way the team arrives unannounced and sees the commissary's fruit and vegetables just like any customer would. It is the only way to make sure military shoppers get produce of the best quality and value, and customer feedback says it is working.