Consumer research

On this page

• Harvest to Home (2018-present)
• Nielsen Homescan data (2014-17)
• Vegetable trend forecasting and analysis (2017)
• Snacking opportunities for vegetable products (2016-17)
• Project Harvest (2013-17)
• Potato Tracker (2014-15)
• Freshlogic insights (2009-12)

Harvest to Home (2018-present)

Hort Innovation is working with global information and measurement company Nielsen to bring Australian growers the largest series of insights into market performance and shopping behaviour yet.

Focussing specifically on the vegetable and onion levy-paying industries, the regularly updated databank Harvest to Home contains hundreds of valuable data points conveyed in a user-friendly format.

The databank includes a huge range of data, including state-by-state purchase rates, how much consumers spend and how often they purchase particular commodities, demographic breakdowns and insights into their perceptions about vegetable purchases.

Data is available for Asian vegetables, beans, broccoli (including broccolini and baby broccoli), Brussels sprouts, cabbage, capsicum, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chillies, corn, cucumber, eggplant, fresh salad, kale, leeks, lettuce, onions, parsley, parsnip, peas (including snowpeas and sugar snaps), pumpkin, radish, spinach, spring onion, sweetpotato and zucchini.

To access the Harvest to Home databank, click here.

Nielsen Homescan data (2014-17)

From 2014 to 2017, Hort Innovation engaged Nielsen to carry out consumer research to allow the Australian vegetable industry to better understand the shopping habits of Australians. The results of the commodity-specific data collected aim to assist growers to better understand consumer preferences and deliver products that best meet consumers’ needs.

Nielsen Homescan electronically records 10,000 demographically and geographically representative Australian households’ purchases of all take-home grocery goods (fresh and packaged).

Specific commodity information was available for a number of vegetables, including Asian vegetables, beans, broccoli, cabbage, capsicum, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, fresh salad, lettuce, pumpkin, sweet corn, sweetpotato, and zucchini.

Data from the Nielsen research was presented in a number of different report formats, including deep dive, opportunity calculator and regular analysis. For access to these reports, levy-paying vegetable growers can contact AUSVEG using the contact form.

Vegetable trend forecasting and analysis (2017)

In 2016-17, Hort Innovation commissioned Workshop Australia Pty Ltd to research emerging food trends and analyse how particular levied vegetable commodities could potentially capitalise on those trends.

During this research project, Workshop analysed how food trends work, which trends could potentially affect vegetable consumption, and how these trends could be leveraged for specific commodities to provide strong return on investment should growers (or groups of growers) have the ability to fund their own marketing activity. The final report for this project is available on the InfoVeg database.

As part of the research project, Workshop also developed two case studies analysing how specific commodities could potentially benefit from existing and emerging consumer trends. These case studies cover eggplant and broccoli.

Snacking opportunities for vegetable products (2016-17)

In 2016, Hort Innovation engaged Freshlogic to undertake market research around the opportunity to create more vegetable snacking options, including quantifying the potential size of the $9.3 billion snacking market that vegetable snacks could capture. To read more about this project, read its full profile on the InfoVeg database.

In 2017, Freshlogic completed a follow-up project for Hort Innovation analysing the distribution channels that have potential to deliver vegetable snacks to the point of purchase and profiling the viability of Australian vegetables being used in shelf-stable vegetable snacks. Crucially, this project also identified the key attributes necessary for a successful vegetable snack. To read more about this project, read its full profile on the InfoVeg database.

Project Harvest (2013-17)

From 2013 to 2017, Hort Innovation engaged Colmar Brunton to carry out a multi-year tracking study analysing consumer attitudes towards fresh vegetable purchases, as well as a series of one-off ad hoc reports investigating particular trends or demographics.

These reports provided valuable insights into key consumer information, such as motivations to buy (or not buy) specific vegetables, preferred packaging formats, how they use specific vegetables in meals and cuisines, and their overall consumption habits.

The vegetables covered over the life of the project include Asian vegetable varieties, baby broccoli, beans, beetroot, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, capsicum, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chillies, corn, cucumber, eggplant, green peas, kale, leeks, lettuce, parsley, parsnips, pumpkin, radish, silverbeet, spinach, spring onion, sweetpotatoes, and zucchini.

Click here to access all published Project Harvest reports online. A final report for the project, providing a detailed look at the methodology of the study and highlighting key insights that emerged over the life of the project, is also available on the InfoVeg database.

Potato Tracker (2014-15)

From 2014 to 2015, Hort Innovation engaged Colmar Brunton to carry out a tracking study analysing consumer attitudes towards potato purchases. These reports provided valuable insights into key consumer information, such as motivations to buy (or not buy) specific vegetables, preferred packaging formats, how they use potatoes in meals and cuisines, and their overall consumption habits.

Click here to access all published Potato Tracker reports online. A final report for the project, providing a detailed look at the methodology of the study and highlighting key insights that emerged over the life of the project, is also available on the InfoVeg database.

Freshlogic insights (2009-12)

From 2009 to 2012, AUSVEG commissioned Freshlogic to carry out consumer research data on certain vegetable commodities to assist the Australian vegetable industry to effectively monitor buying and consumption habits of Australians.

The results of this data collection assisted the industry to better target growing operations to serve the public demand for fresh Australian produce.

For access to this historical data, levy-paying vegetable growers can contact AUSVEG using the contact form.