Australians are off the mark about the origin of their fresh vegetables, according to new consumer research commissioned by Horticulture Innovation Australia.
The Project Harvest consumer research study indicates that more than 40 per cent of Australians believe at least a third of fresh vegetables at their local store are imported.
“The Australian vegetable industry had a gross value of production of $3.3 billion in 2014-15, while the total value of all fresh vegetables imported into Australia over the same period was $78 million – only 2.3 per cent of Australia’s value of production of vegetables for human consumption,” AUSVEG spokesperson Shaun Lindhe said.
“These findings show that there’s a significant gap between Australians’ perceptions of fresh vegetable imports and the reality of Australia’s fresh vegetable market.”
The Project Harvest study has also found that this misperception is even more prevalent among younger consumers, with shoppers aged 18-35 more likely to overestimate the availability of imported produce than the average consumer.
“Interestingly, more than half of this younger demographic of shoppers think that the majority of fresh vegetables sold in supermarkets are imported,” Mr Lindhe said.
“Previous research has found that Australians prefer to buy Australian-grown produce because they want to support Australian growers. This is as simple as checking the label on the packet or looking for the country-of-origin information that all supermarkets are required to show next to unpackaged fresh vegetables.
“Consumers may be surprised at how easy it is to buy fresh Australian vegetables and support local growers.”
