'characters' => {
        'Apple' => {
                    'fruit_id' => '0'
         },
        'Orange' => {
                    'fruit_id' => '0'
        },
}

##</code><code>##

 my $fruits_xml = $xml_feed->{grocery}->{produce};
 #narrowing just to produce here.

while( my ($fruit_name) = each %$fruits_xml)
{
...
}