As we head into another hot Australian summer, new research involving over 500 consumers commissioned by the vegetable industry has tracked consumers’ use of common vegetables on a monthly basis and revealed the top eight vegetable BBQ hits.

Out of the 16 vegetables that were tracked in the detailed Project Harvest survey, which covered everything from preferred consumption occasions to knowledge of different vegetable varieties, it was found that consumers typically consumed/used the following vegetables at BBQs:

1. Lettuce (29%)
2. Cucumbers (22%)
3. Capsicums (20%)
4. Sweet corn (17%)
5. Zucchini (11%)
6. Cabbage (11%)
7. Celery (10%)
8. Baby spinach (10%)

“You’d expect to see a surge in popularity of these products in lead up to Christmas as we hit peak BBQ season,” AUSVEG spokesperson Andrew White said.

“We’d encourage consumers to think outside the square this summer though, with an even wider range of vegetables capable of being incorporated into the traditional family BBQ, either with salads, being cooked on the BBQ itself, or as part of a tasty and colourful vegetable kebab for the grill,” Mr White said.

“With the proliferation of cooking shows and recipe ideas around these days, there’s no reason why consumers should not be embracing the healthy components of a summer BBQ and creating the perfect grilled summer vegetable medley.”

“This research into consumption habits is being used by the vegetable industry to inform vegetable growers about their customers’ preferences, so that product offerings can be customised to ensure that consumers’ needs are being met,” Mr White said.

AUSVEG is Australia’s leading horticultural body representing more than 9,000 vegetable and potato growers.

The research has been funded by HAL using the National Vegetable Levy and matched funds from the Australian Government.

ENDS

MEDIA CONTACT: Andrew White, Spokesperson, AUSVEG
Phone: (03) 9882 0277 Mobile: 0409 989 575 E-mail: andrew.white@ausveg.com.au