Comprehending and capitalising on market trends for fresh fruit and vegetables
From an extensive review of the material available online from management and marketing consultants, food producers and food associations, the key drivers of consumer demand can be summarized as: i) health and nutrition - and the increasing recognition of plant power in the diet, plant waters, nuts and seeds, and the antioxidant properties of fresh produce; ii) indulgence - the increasing demand for product to deliver the desired taste, flavour and texture without the application of preservatives or chemical additives and the rapid rise in the popularity of gourmet cooking shows and heirloom food; iii) transparency - which not only implies that the product is safe, but identifies where and how the product has been grown; iv) sustainability - where greater attention is focused on the environment, equity and social responsibility and increasingly, on the need to minimise food waste; v) convenience - where consumers today are eating more food at home, but more of the food that is consumed is semi-processed.
Coupled with health and nutrition, more consumers are choosing to snack on fresh fruit and vegetables and with increasing urbanisation and the consumers desire to know where the food has come from, more fresh produce is finding its way into the home through alternative routes to market; and vi) innovation - where advances in science are rapidly increasing the availability and longevity of plant products.
Batt, P.J. (2019). Comprehending and capitalising on market trends for fresh fruit and vegetables. Acta Hortic. 1258, 1-10
DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2019.1258.1
https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2019.1258.1
DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2019.1258.1
https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2019.1258.1
consumers, food trends
English
1258_1
1-10