Educating The Consumer On Health Benefits Of Vegetables To Promote Consumption

1. Educating The Consumer On Health Benefits Of Vegetables To Promote Consumption Reetica Rekhy PhD Candidate Faculty of Agriculture and Environment University of Sydney 15th July 2014

2. Contents • Current consumption levels of F&V in different parts of the developed world • Major global campaigns for promotion of F&V consumption and their success/ failure • Promoters and barriers to growth in F&V consumption – incl. consumer psychology and behaviour • Strategies for increasing F&V consumption incl. investigating any gaps in knowledge and awareness of consumers

3. F&V Consumption – recommended & actual • Established health benefits of fruit & vegetables (F&V) – reduced risk of chronic disease and nutritional deficiencies (WHO, 2013) • WHO recommends minimum daily consumption of 400g of F&V (excluding potatoes) BUT • Europe – 220g per person per day – 1/2 daily WHO recommendation (The Louis Bonduelle Foundation, 2011) • U.S. –1.8 cups of F&V per day – only 6-8% of individuals achieve recommended daily target (Produce for Better Health Foundation, 2010) • Australia – only 8.3% met guideline for daily vegetable intake, only 5.6% of adults had an adequate daily consumption of F&V in 2011-12(Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2012) • Globally 1.7 million deaths (2.8%) deaths per annum linked to low F&V consumption (WHO, 2013)

4. Recommended serves & serve size • Australian Guide to Healthy Eating recommends 2-8 serves of vegetables & legumes and 1-5 serves of fruit daily – interpreted as 2 serves of fruit and 5 serves of vegetables a day • 1 serve of fruit = 150g = 1 cup chopped/canned fruit 1 serve of vegetables = 75g = 1 cup salad vegetables = ½ cup cooked vegetables Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2012

5. Major global campaigns • Australia – “Go for 2&5”, 2005-2007 WA: Increase of 0.8 serves per day National: Generated awareness, increased knowledge • U.S.“5 A Day for Better Health”, 1991-2006 and “Fruits & Veggies – More Matters”, 2007-present Increased interest in 62% of the target audience • Denmark – “6 omdagen” (6 a day), 1999-present Vegetable & fruit consumption increased by 41% & 75% (1995-2004) • U.K. – “Food Dudes”, 1992-present 60%-200% increase in consumption in 2013 • New Zealand – “5+ A Day”, 1994-present 60.4% consume 2 serves of fruit in 2011 (46% in 1997) 66% consume 3 serves of vegetables (no significant change since 1997)

6. Promoters & barriers to F&V consumption • Produce related • price; seasonality; perishability; nutritional content; origin; quality of produce • Distribution channel related • accessibility; variety of produce • Consumer related • income; education; gender; age; household composition; cultural background; convenience; lifestyle; cooking skills; sensory factors –serving size awareness; attitudes, beliefs; personal values

7. Strategies for increasing consumption of F&V Consumer Behaviour Theory – potential toolkit • Cafes to automatically include F&V as a side dish in their meals • High visibility & increase in choice / variety on offer • Reduce unhealthy food alternatives eg vending machines and offer F&V as snacks • Cost effective & convenient packaging eg salads, stir frys • Offer price discounts & labels regarding nutritional content, associated health benefits • Food neophobia in children – repeated exposure & engaging children in growing and cooking F&V Source: Produce for Better Health Foundation, 2012 Customise strategies according to needs of target market segment, with participation from all players along value chain

8. Literature Review • Campaign success higher when greater collaborationbetween industry, retail, government and not-for-profit public health organisations. • Effectiveness higher when campaign: • culturally targeted at a specific group; • focus on F&V separately and increase in accessibility; • promotes consumption frequency (not serve size); • supported by other initiatives - economic subsidies, reduced taxes, other policy measures to lower price; • behavioural change and goal setting; • clear messages; • longer time-frames; • proactive involvement of family and interactive approach.

9. Consumer Study Aim To investigate the top of mind health benefits related to specific vegetables to determine how to best use health benefits symbols on vegetable packaging

10. Consumer Study Scope • Sample size: 1000 respondents • Adult population only: 18 yrs + • Australia wide • English speaking background (ESB) and Non-English speaking background (NESB) • Online survey hosted by a reputed market research company

11. Consumer Study 1. “Importance of vegetables in the daily diet” and 2. “Average daily number of serves of vegetables consumed (i.e. daily consumption levels)”: • Significantly • English Speaking rated them more important and consumed more than non-English Speaking • Females rated them more important and consumed more than males • 45’s and Over rated them more important and consumed more than Under 45’s • Non-metro regions (incl ACT, Tas, NT) rated them more important and consumed more than metro areas Key Findings – Importance & Daily Serves

12. Consumer Study Key Findings – Free Elicitation 3. Health related benefits for specific vegetables • Respondents were asked to report attributes they thought had an impact on body, mind and well-being • “not sure” / “don’t know” • Cos lettuce 56% • Sweet corn 63% • Cauliflower 63% • White radish 72% • Zucchini 60% • Nutrients were mentioned more often than health benefits Implication Vegetable health benefit literacy level is very low Literature supports this too

13. Consumer Study 4. Ranking health benefits: Health related benefits for specific vegetables : rank the top three from the list provided, based on FSANZ approved health claims Key Findings - Ranking

14. Consumer Study Key Findings - Ranking

15. Consumer Study Recommendations • Labelling will help enhance health benefit literacy levels among vegetable consumers • Tailor programmes according to the needs of specific consumer groups (eg NESB or teenagers or males) • Supported with other integrated initiatives / campaigns to educate the consumer on health benefits (eg specialised smart phone apps targeted at the Under 45’s) • Overall health benefit rankings assist in the decision regarding choice of health benefit symbol to go on packaging of specific vegetables Customise strategies according to needs of the target market