UK consumers (with internet access) are almost three times more likely than Europeans as a whole to consume at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, according to a new study from Nielsen, a global provider of information and insights into what consumers watch and buy.
The Nielsen Global Survey of Fresh Foods – which surveyed more than 29,000 internet respondents in 58 countries – shows that more than one in five (22%) UK consumers has at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day compared to about one in twelve (8%) across Europe.
Following the UK, the Irish (18%) and Swiss (14%) are most likely to consume ‘5 a day’ in Europe whilst Croatians (0%) and the Polish and Portuguese (both 1%) are the least likely. Comparing global regions, Asia-Pacific consumers are most likely (12%), while Latin Americans (5%) are the least likely to consume ‘5 a day.’
The fresh food economy
A corresponding 2012 Nielsen Shopper Trends Survey revealed that, despite their greater consumption of fruit and vegetables, Britons devote less of their total monthly food, grocery and personal care spend (€293) to fresh foods (40%) than every other European country measured except Norway (33%).
On average, Europeans allocate 46% of their €333 monthly spend to fresh food; Romanians devote the most (63%) followed by the Irish (53%).
In Asia-Pacific, fresh foods account for as much as 60% of food, grocery, and personal care spend. In the US it’s 30%, and in Latin America, 25%.
Although sales of fresh foods continue to perform well in all parts of the world, they are not immune to price pressures. More than half (52%) of respondents globally said that rising food prices affect their purchasing of fresh foods, with meat and poultry categories impacted most (54%).
Large retailers far more dominant in UK
For Europeans, as with North Americans, good value for the money and convenience are the most important factors in choosing a retailer for fresh foods, whereas freshness is most important among Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Middle East/Africa respondents.
And UK consumers love to use bigger stores. When it comes to fruit and vegetables, specifically, eight in 10 (81%) Britons buy them from supermarkets or hypermarkets, compared to just over half (53%) of Europeans.
Source: Nielsen
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