In their latest Project Harvest Report the peak industry body
representing vegetable and potato growers, Ausveg, have identified some
interesting trends in vegetable purchasing and consumption.
Essentially they have found that consumers are buying smaller
lots of vegetables more often. They theorise that consumers are more conscious
of wastage and are happy to visit their vegetable retailer every couple of days
to achieve minimum wastage. The effect is that smaller pre-packaged or
individual vegetable purchases are on the rise while larger pre-packaged
formats are declining.
A spokesperson said - “When they go vegetable shopping, these
consumers are only planning a couple of meals ahead, because they’ll return in
a night or two. This means that they’re looking for portion sizes that they can
grab, use immediately and have nothing left over.” “In some cases this leads
them to buying loose leaves, or convenient formats like salad trays and small
pre-packaged bags. In other cases, it means they’re only looking to buy one or
two broccoli heads or chillies instead of a full tray.”
What does this trend mean for QVM Fruit & Vegetable sellers?
– we would love your views.