We all know that Rudolph and his reindeer pals love carrots but it seems that they are not the only ones!

Leading in to Christmas it can be revealed that carrots were Australian consumers’ most commonly purchased vegetable during the past month, according to an ongoing survey of consumer behaviour called Project Harvest.

The most recent survey of 734 people showed the top 12 most commonly purchased vegetables leading in to the festive season were:

1. Carrots (91 per cent of respondents)

2. Broccoli (81 per cent of respondents)

3. Potatoes (78 per cent of respondents)

4. Capsicum (78 per cent of respondents)

5. Lettuce (76 per cent of respondents)

6. Sweet corn (68 per cent of respondents)

7. Cauliflower (68 per cent of respondents)

8. Cucumber (64 per cent of respondents)

9. Sweet potato (63 per cent of respondents)

10. Pumpkin (62 per cent of respondents)

11. Zucchini (61 per cent of respondents)

12. Celery (59 per cent of respondents)

“What we are seeing is Australian consumers taking advantage of the incredible variety of vegetables available to them, and it’s great to see such high consumption levels across a range of vegetable types,” said AUSVEG spokesperson Tamara Ungar.

AUSVEG is the leading horticultural body representing 9,000 Australian vegetable and potato growers.

“The great thing about vegetables is that there are far more than just 12 types to choose from, giving Australian consumers a huge amount of choice this Christmas.”

“During the festive season, we anticipate the appetite for fresh Australian vegetables is only going to increase and we would encourage consumers to get creative with their veggie choices when deciding on Christmas meal options.”

Project Harvest is a monthly tracking survey of Australian vegetable consumption which examines consumer behaviour and attitudes in relation to various vegetable commodities.

The research has been funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the National Vegetable Levy and funds from the Australian Government.

ENDS
MEDIA CONTACT:  Tamara Ungar, Senior Communications Officer, Phone: (03) 9882 0277, Mobile: 0400 980 480, Email: tamara.ungar@ausveg.com.au