Just one extra weekly shopping trip can increase consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables by 3.8 servings a week according to the latest Project Harvest consumer research report from Colmar Brunton.
The research suggests that more frequent shopping trips lead to more expenditure on, and higher consumption of, fresh produce.
“Most Australians don’t have one big weekly grocery shop,” AUSVEG spokesman Kurt Hermann said. “Instead, they’re increasingly treating supermarkets as extensions of their fridges, only buying enough fresh produce for the next couple of meals to avoid wastage or buying too much for their needs.”
The Project Harvest report, part of a tracking study of consumer attitudes to fresh vegetable purchases over time, has also found that the future of Australian vegetable consumption will be about customising convenience and optimising health.
In particular, the report suggests that ‘dinner kit’ services, which deliver the fresh ingredients consumers need to home-cook meals, could be a major growth trend.
“The modern dinner kit is growing in popularity – it hits a sweet spot for consumers wanting convenience, healthy options, to be from-scratch cooks and wanting to reduce waste,” Mr Hermann said.
“With these kits delivering fresh ingredients to consumers’ doorsteps, they present an excellent opportunity for Australian vegetable growers to get their high-quality produce to Australian shoppers.”
Project Harvest is funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the National Vegetable Levy and matched funds from the Australian Government.