Opportunities for Value Added Vegetable Production

This report will detail investigations into opportunities for value-added vegetables to boost grower returns, consumption of fresh produce and markets for second grade produce. Research for this report was conducted in Singapore, Hong Kong, Philippines, Ireland, England, China, USA, Canada, and Dubai.

Customers are seeking value added (VA) vegetable options with 67% of customers purchasing VA products. Producers must be customer-focused rather than supply-chain-focused to take advantage of these opportunities. Successful implementation of VA produce will largely depend on the producer’s ability to change according to the market and customer preferences.

Continued urbanisation is presenting opportunities for further VA product as customers are increasingly time poor and seek convenience through a greater range of products. This trend is likely to continue.

Vegetable producers can position themselves to compete with other non-vegetable categories. This is particularly important with the movement towards healthy living. It is an exciting time for the vegetable industry, given significant growth opportunities in the VA category.

Vegetable producers can make greater use of second grade produce, deliver greater cost savings and add value to their current offerings. These changes combined with technological advances will allow producers to gain competitive advantages and open new markets.