The analysis, conducted for the Australian vegetable industry by market research agency, Colmar Brunton, has identified ten key food trends that will emerge over the next year, and consumers’ increasing emotional involvement with what they’re eating is a major factor.

“Consumers continue to be emotionally invested in their food, and particularly what their food choices are saying about them,” said AUSVEG spokesperson, Dimi Kyriakou. “With social media channels like Instagram allowing consumers to quickly and easily share their food – both self-prepared meals and food they’ve bought – this analysis suggests they’ll increasingly turn to fresh vegetables to add a lively, vibrant look to their meals, as well as for the health benefits.” 

“In the same vein, smoothie bowls, which combine fresh ingredients into a full meal instead of a drinkable smoothie or juice, are becoming a major trend because of their visual appeal and their nutritional value.”

The insights also forecast a continued interest in food knowledge by consumers looking to understand where their food comes from, how it was grown, and how to get the most out of their food purchases.

“As many Australians move away from overly processed and overly sweetened foods and towards unprocessed or raw options, like fresh vegetables, they want more in-depth knowledge about their food purchases,” Kyriakou said. “Knowing where their food is from, knowing how it was grown and knowing whether it’s in season are becoming more and more important to consumers as they use this information to make assumptions about their food’s freshness and its overall quality.”

“With fresh, high-quality vegetables being grown all across the country, Australian consumers who are concerned about the provenance of their produce are in a great position to buy local and support Australian growers.”