Research among consumers in Germany, the UK and Spain

Fresh produce is still a meta trend in Germany

There is no doubt that inflation is influencing consumer buying behaviour. Nevertheless, Jan Willutzki, buyer for fresh vegetables for the regional EDEKA cooperative Minden-Hannover, is optimistic about the fresh produce category: “During the coronavirus pandemic, people consumed a lot more fruit and vegetables. Now – like many countries worldwide – Germany is suffering from an energy crisis and high inflation. In order to save money, many customers are buying discount products. But as consumers are also increasingly tending to buy healthy and fresh food, fresh produce sales will remain a meta trend for a long time.”

1 in 3 consumers have changed their buying behaviour

To investigate these and other market indicators of changing buying behaviour, the consumer platform Love my Salad and the Rijk Zwaan Market Research Team conducted research into the purchasing patterns for vegetables. Annette Meeder, Co-ordinator Market Research, explains more about the approach and highlights a number of findings: “In each of the countries, we asked a representative group of consumers whether their preferences have changed: are they choosing different types of vegetables, have their cooking habits changed, and are they shopping in different stores? The percentages differ per country, but generally speaking one in three consumers have changed their behaviour in some way. Interestingly, 60% of the consumers indicated that they are open to new vegetables.”

Love my Salad offers inspiration in the UK

The research findings are clearly summarised in a whitepaper, which will be presented at the Rijk Zwaan Retail Centre during Fruit Logistica. The whitepaper also includes analysis by a number of Rijk Zwaan’s market specialists such as Kelly Northcroft, Chain Manager in the UK, who explains how the team is responding to the current changes: “We try to use our consumer-facing platform, Love my Salad, to inspire people with easy-to-cook recipes that feature a range of veggies. As people’s budgets are stretched, there is an opportunity to remind people that, although there has been inflation in the veg category, it is less than for many other foods and veg still remains great value for money. Customers have also been moving from branded products to private label in an effort to save money. Although this is less of an issue in vegetables, it’s important that retailers offer a price point that meets a range of budgets.”  

The importance of close collaboration

The insights from the whitepaper can help chain partners to move ‘freshly forward’, which is the theme Rijk Zwaan has chosen for this year’s Fruit Logistica. Jan Willutzki reflects on the value of his close partnership with Rijk Zwaan: “We constantly analyse the market in order to spot emerging trends as quickly as possible. Good category management enables us to react to the changes in consumer behaviour. Rijk Zwaan helps us to build up the right assortment for our customers, so the collaboration is very important to us.”

If you would like to receive a copy of the whitepaper, visit the Retail Centre during Fruit Logistica. Free transport is provided by Rijk Zwaan. To schedule your visit, send an email to [email protected].

Join Rijk Zwaan in moving Freshly Forward‘Freshly Forward, from Foundation to Future’ – this is the theme Rijk Zwaan has chosen to encapsulate its roadmap for tackling today’s challenges, together with its partners. We will be presenting robust and resilient solutions as well as inspiring innovations at Fruit Logistica 2023 (Hall 1.2, D-13). One of the highlights is snack pepper Tatayoyo, that is nominated for the 2023 Fruit Logistica Innovation Award. You are also welcome to visit the Rijk Zwaan Retail Centre in Berlin – the company’s very own experience and consumer research facility. Join Rijk Zwaan in moving Freshly Forward! Join Rijk Zwaan in moving Freshly Forward! Read more inspiring stories on this page.