Table of Contents
Overview
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- What you need to know
- Definition
Executive Summary
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- The issues
- Fresh vegetable segments find success while others struggle
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- Figure 1: Total US sales and fan chart forecast of market, at current prices, 2011-21
- Vegetable purchase universal, still room for growth
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- Figure 2: Vegetable purchase, March 2017
- Shelf-stable vegetables lack perception of nutrition, versatility
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- Figure 3: Correspondence analysis – Vegetable types, perception, and uses, March 2017
- The opportunities
- Room to extend occasions and uses
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- Figure 4: Vegetable innovation, March 2017
- Snackable and recipe-friendly vegetable products
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- Figure 5: Vegetable behavior, March 2017
- Consumers place importance on vegetables free from artificial ingredients, additives, and preservatives
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- Figure 6: Vegetable attributes, March 2017
- What it means
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Category growth driven by fresh vegetables
- Vegetable appearances increase on restaurant menus
- Vegetable prices remain stable
- New administration’s policies could lead to increased vegetable prices
- GMO labeling law remains uncertain
Market Size and Forecast
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- Vegetable sales grow 13% from 2011-16
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- Figure 7: Total US sales and fan chart forecast of market, at current prices, 2011-21
- Figure 8: Total US retail sales and forecast of vegetables, at current prices, 2011-21
- Figure 9: Total US retail sales and forecast of vegetables, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2011-21
Market Breakdown
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- Fresh vegetables and fresh-cut salad drive growth
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- Figure 10: Sales of vegetables, by segment, 2016
- Figure 11: Total US retail sales and forecast of vegetables, by segment, at current prices, 2011-21
- Supermarkets maintain majority share, but lose some to other channels
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- Figure 12: Total US retail sales of vegetables, by channel, at current prices, 2014 and 2016
Market Perspective
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- Vegetables emerge as main offering in restaurant dishes
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- Figure 13: Vegetable ingredients, preparations, and flavors, by menu incidence change from Q4 2015-16
- Consumption of fresh vegetables similar to frozen and canned
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- Figure 14: Fresh produce – Vegetables, frozen vegetables (excluding potatoes), and canned/jarred vegetables (excluding tomatoes), eaten last 30 days
Market Factors
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- As food prices decrease, vegetable prices hold steady from 2015-16
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- Figure 15: Changes in food price indexes, 2015-16
- New administration’s trade and immigration policies could impact produce market
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- Figure 16: Value of US food imports from Mexico, 2015
- Keeping off the pounds a struggle for Americans
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- Figure 17: Prevalence of obesity among US adults aged 20 and over, 1997-2015
- GMO issue faces headwinds
Key Players – What You Need to Know
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- Chiquita leads company sales in a highly fragmented category
- Fresh-cut salads deliver continued growth
- Frozen/shelf-stable vegetables struggle with health perception
- Packaging can extend occasions and use
- Easy vegetable swap ins
Brand Sales of Vegetables
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- Chiquita leads category sales, private label holds over third of share
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- Figure 18: MULO sales of vegetables, by leading companies, rolling 52 weeks 2015 and 2016
What’s Working?
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- Ready Pac, Taylor, and Fresh Express excel in fresh-cut salad segment
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- Figure 19: MULO sales of fresh-cut salad, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2015 and 2016
- Single-serve, fresh-cut salad gets innovative
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- Figure 20: Online video – “Organic Pork Tenderloin salad recipe with Chadwick Boyd” – Fresh Express
- Private label matches branded in fresh
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- Figure 21: MULO sales of fresh vegetables and fresh-cut salad, by private label brands, rolling 52 weeks 2015 and 2016
- Del Monte, Goya work against negative shelf-stable perceptions
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- Figure 22: Online video – “Simply Sensational Chili” – Goya Foods
What’s Struggling?
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- Frozen struggles with in-store location and health
- Largest frozen brands look to bounce back
- Frozen vegetables without free-from claims lag behind those that do in purchase intent
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- Figure 23: Purchase intent, with and without claim, October 2016-February 2017
- Shelf-stable vegetables struggle with health perceptions, shrinking convenience
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- Figure 24: Online video – “Yucatan Pork and Beans” – ConAgra Brands
- Taste and excitement another issue with shelf-stable products
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- Figure 25: Consumer perception of attributes, by vegetable types, by tasty and exciting, October 2016-February 2017
What’s Next?
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- Packaging to extend occasions
- Convenient packaging for snacking and storage
- What you see is what you get
- Master cook in minutes
- Experiential produce and services from stores
- Local love
- Misfit produce programs
- Preparing produce
- Cooking tutorials, sampling
- Vegetable-based foods
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- Figure 26: TV Ad – “Snow Angel” – Green Giant
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- Figure 27: Vegetable launches, by riced vegetables, mashed vegetables, and vegetable noodles, 2014-16
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Vegetable purchase is universal, especially for fresh
- Shelf-stable vegetables have room to improve flavor and suggest convenient uses
- Consumers look for vegetable snacking options, recipe inspiration
- The less additives, the better
- Packaging changes may extend occasions
Vegetable Purchase
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- Nearly all consumers purchase fresh vegetables
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- Figure 28: Vegetable purchase, March 2017
- Consumers aged 25-34 most likely to purchase across vegetable types
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- Figure 29: Vegetable purchase, by age, March 2017
- Parents purchase a broader variety of vegetables
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- Figure 30: Vegetable purchase, by parental status, March 2017
- Asians and Hispanics most likely to buy organic, misshapen vegetables
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- Figure 31: Vegetable purchase, by race and Hispanic origin, March 2017
Stores Shopped for Vegetables
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- Supermarkets dominate vegetable purchase location
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- Figure 32: Vegetable purchase, by channel, March 2017
- Traditional, natural supermarkets have most organic activity
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- Figure 33: Vegetable purchase, by organic vegetables, by channel, March 2017
- Household income plays role in channel choice
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- Figure 34: Any vegetable purchase, by channel, by annual household income, March 2017
- Urban shoppers use the most store types
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- Figure 35: Any vegetable purchase, by area of residence, March 2017
- Younger consumers shop for vegetables beyond supermarkets
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- Figure 36: Any vegetable purchase, by channel, by age, March 2017
- Parents with multiple children more likely to purchase across channels
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- Figure 37: Any vegetable purchase, by channel, by parental status, March 2017
Vegetable Perceptions and Uses
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- Opportunities abound for recipe suggestions across vegetable types
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- Figure 38: Correspondence analysis – Vegetable types, perception and uses, March 2017
- Figure 39: Vegetable types, perception and uses, March 2017
Vegetable Behavior
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- Simple vegetable snacks may increase purchase in category
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- Figure 40: Vegetable behavior, by snacking and buying, March 2017
- Opportunities for inspiration from restaurants, initiatives to reduce waste
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- Figure 41: Vegetable behavior, by use, inspiration, and waste, March 2017
- Younger consumers interested in snackable, recipe-friendly vegetables
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- Figure 42: Vegetable behavior, by age, March 2017
- Parents seek out recipe inspiration, international flavors
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- Figure 43: Vegetable behavior, by inspiration and flavor, by parental status, March 2017
- Product transparency especially appeals to parents
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- Figure 44: Vegetable behavior, by origin, waste, vegetarian, and vegan, by parental status, March 2017
- Race and origin influence vegetable behavior
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- Figure 45: Vegetable behavior, by race and Hispanic origin, March 2017
Vegetable Attitudes
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- Favorable view on misshapen vegetables, confusion on GMOs
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- Figure 46: Vegetable attitudes, by misshapen and GMOs, March 2017
- Consumers have positive views on store brand, locally grown vegetables
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- Figure 47: Vegetable attitudes, March 2017
- Opportunity for non-fresh vegetables to focus on food waste initiatives
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- Figure 48: Vegetable attitudes, by waste, March 2017
- Consumers note difficulties in eating enough vegetables
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- Figure 49: Vegetable attitudes, March 2017
- Age and gender play key roles in vegetable attitudes
- Older women value misshapen vegetables, waste reduction offered by shelf-stable
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- Figure 50: Vegetable attitudes, misshapen vegetables and food waste reduction, by gender and age, March 2017
- Older consumers more accepting of non-branded; younger, of organic vegetables
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- Figure 51: Vegetable attitudes, non-branded, locally grown, organic, and convenience, by gender and age, March 2017
- Non-parents exhibit interest in misshapen, non-branded vegetables
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- Figure 52: Vegetable attitudes, by misshapen and store non-branded, by parental status, March 2017
- Parents confused with GMOs, struggle to incorporate vegetables into diet
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- Figure 53: Vegetable attitudes, by GMOs, diet, waste, and organic, by parental status, March 2017
- Blacks, Hispanics favor organic; Asians buy vegetables in season
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- Figure 54: Vegetable attitudes, by race and Hispanic origin, March 2017
Vegetable Attributes
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- Consumers prefer vegetables in their natural state
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- Figure 55: Vegetable attributes, March 2017
- Differences in claims important to vegetable segment buying groups
- Purchasers of shelf-stable vegetables express interest in organic claims
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- Figure 56: Vegetable purchase, by vegetable attributes, organic, March 2017
- Buyers of convenience-focused vegetables indicate importance of protein
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- Figure 57: Vegetable purchase, by vegetable attributes, high protein, March 2017
- Attributes’ importance differs by age groups
- Older consumers place higher importance on health claims
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- Figure 58: Vegetable attributes, by age, March 2017
- iGeneration/Millennial consumers place importance on organic and protein content
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- Figure 59: Vegetable attributes, by age, March 2017
- Multicultural consumers seek vegetables with number of health claims
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- Figure 60: Vegetable attributes, by race and Hispanic origin, March 2017
Vegetable Innovation
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- Vegetable packaging innovations top the list
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- Figure 61: Vegetable innovation, packaging and kid options, March 2017
- Ingredient upgrades and locally grown vegetables of interest to consumers
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- Figure 62: Vegetable innovation, ingredients and vegetables grown on premise, March 2017
- Lifestage influential factor for interest in vegetable features
- Younger consumers want convenient packaging, older ones value see-through windows
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- Figure 63: Vegetable innovation, packaging, by generation, March 2017
- iGeneration/Millennial consumers interested in innovative ingredients upgrades
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- Figure 64: Vegetable innovation, ingredients, occasions, and grown on premise, by generation, March 2017
- Consumers from households with income below $75K look for convenient ways to consume vegetables, protein
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- Figure 65: Vegetable innovation, by household income, March 2017
- Blacks interested in transparent window, Hispanics/Asians in seed mixes
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- Figure 66: Vegetable innovation, by race and Hispanic origin, March 2017
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
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- Data sources
- Sales data
- Fan chart forecast
- Consumer survey data
- Mintel Menu Insights methodology
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
Appendix – Correspondence Analysis
Appendix – Market
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- Figure 67: Total US retail sales and forecast of vegetables, by segment, at current prices, 2011-21
- Figure 68: Total US retail sales of vegetables, by segment, at current prices, 2014 and 2016
- Figure 69: Total US retail sales and forecast of fresh vegetables, at current prices, 2011-21
- Figure 70: Total US retail sales and forecast of fresh vegetables, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2011-21
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- Figure 71: Total US retail sales and forecast of shelf-stable vegetables, at current prices, 2011-21
- Figure 72: Total US retail sales and forecast of shelf-stable vegetables, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2011-21
- Figure 73: Total US retail sales and forecast of frozen vegetables, at current prices, 2011-21
- Figure 74: Total US retail sales and forecast of frozen vegetables, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2011-21
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- Figure 75: Total US retail sales and forecast of fresh-cut salad, at current prices, 2011-21
- Figure 76: Total US retail sales and forecast of fresh-cut salad, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2011-21
- Figure 77: Total US retail sales of vegetables, by channel, at current prices, 2011-16
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- Figure 78: Total US retail sales of vegetables, by channel, at current prices, 2014 and 16
- Figure 79: US supermarket sales of vegetables, at current prices, 2011-16
- Figure 80: US sales of vegetables through other retail channels, at current prices, 2011-16
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Appendix – Key Players
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- Figure 81: MULO sales of fresh vegetables, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2015 and 2016
- Figure 82: MULO sales of frozen vegetables, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2015 and 2016
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- Figure 83: MULO sales of shelf stable vegetables, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2015 and 2016
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