California Prune Board highlights nutritious prunes ahead of World Menopause Day
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The California Prune Board is encouraging retailers to put California Prunes in the spotlight ahead of World Menopause Day on 18th October 2026, highlighting their nutritional credentials and versatility as an everyday snack and ingredient.
With growing consumer interest in nutrition and healthy ageing, particularly during midlife, the Board believes there are opportunities to give prunes greater prominence in snacking and home baking aisles.
High in vitamin K and a source of manganese, which contribute to the maintenance of normal bones, prunes offer a nutritious snacking option. With declining oestrogen levels during menopause associated with accelerated bone loss, nutrition has an important role to play alongside exercise and other lifestyle factors in supporting healthy bones.
The California Prune Board (CPB) has made bone health a key focus of its long-term nutrition research programme, with studies investigating the potential role of prune consumption on bone health in postmenopausal women.
Esther Ritson-Elliott, Vice President, International Market Development at the California Prune Board explains: “World Menopause Day provides an important opportunity to highlight the role of nutrition in supporting women's health.
“For the CPB, robust scientific research is central to building our understanding of the nutritional properties of prunes. As consumers become increasingly interested in nutrition and wellbeing, continuing to develop this evidence base is also important for the wider food industry.”
Research includes the landmark Prune Study, a 12-month randomised controlled trial involving 235 postmenopausal women, which investigated the effects of daily prune consumption on bone mineral density. The first paper from the study was published in 2022 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Subsequent peer-reviewed publications have examined further aspects of the research.
In 2025, it was announced that the CPB had secured co-funding from the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to support two multi-year studies, building on decades of nutrition research exploring the relationship between prune consumption and bone health.
The projects, at Penn State University and San Diego State University, will examine the relationship between prunes and changes in bone density during the transition to menopause. Both studies will also measure inflammation and gut microbiome health to provide more understanding of the potential role of prunes in women’s health.
Esther concludes: “Retailers and the food industry have a role to play in helping consumers make informed nutritional choices.
“California Prunes offer a combination of health benefits, natural sweetness and versatility, whether enjoyed as an everyday snack or incorporated into home baking. By highlighting this versatility through displays, seasonal communications and serving inspiration, retailers can encourage consumers to look at California Prunes in a new light and explore different ways to enjoy them.”
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Editors notes
The California Prune Board was established in 1980 to represent growers and handlers under the authority of the California Secretary of Food and Agriculture. California is the world’s largest producer of premium prunes with orchards across the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys. Promoting a lifetime of wellness through the enjoyment of California Prunes, the organization leads the premium prune category with generations of craftsmanship supported by California’s leading food safety and sustainability standards. California Prunes. Prunes. For life.
www.californiaprunes.net
