Eat your vegetables. Who didn’t hear this phrase as a kid? I know I certainly did, and the chorus has been immortalized in television shows and advertising campaigns for years. And you know what? It just may have worked.
According to the NPD Group, Millennials and members of Generation Z are driving the growth in the fresh and frozen vegetables market. According to the group, consumers under the age of 40 are increasing their eatings per capita of fresh vegetables by 52% over the past decade. During the same time period, frozen vegetable consumption by the cohort grew by 59%.
The NPD Group expects that this generational change is fuled by an overall shift by younger consumers to eat fresh foods over the past 10 years. These eaters are adopting fresh foods at a much earlier age than the generations that came before them. According to David Portalatin, vice president, food industry analyst at NPD Group:
“Vegetable consumption among younger consumers is a reflection of their more health-conscious eating behaviors…Our research shows that their attitudes about eating vegetables will not shift as they age and go through their life stages.”
To that point, the group expects that Millennials and members of Generation Z will sustain the growth exhibited in the fresh vegetable market for years to come as they enter their prime consumption years. According to the NPD Group’s A Generational Study: The Evolution of Eating, this group will likely drive a 10% increase in fresh vegetable consumption and a 3% rise in frozen vegetable consumption for the next ten years.
A suprising fact also emerges from the NPD research. Boomers, ages 60 and up, actually decreased their consumption of fresh and frozen vegetable products over the timeframe by 30% and 40%, respectively. Perhaps another addage is fitting for the generation.
Do as I say and not as I do.