Vegetarian Market Solutions For 2013

Help consumers make informed decisions about adopting a fresh produce diet.

The word "vegetarian" can have both positive and negative connotations for today's retail shopper, presenting opportunities for increased profits through education and innovative merchandising.

Some think of vegetarianism as a leftover lifestyle from the 1970s, when eating organic and homegrown items was the "in" thing. Others consider such a diet lacking in taste and the necessary protein that only meat and fish can provide. However, there's no doubt that the steady increase in organic produce sales over the past two decades have put vegetarianism on the map, so to speak, as many equate a diet consisting of fruits, vegetables and grains with a path to personal happiness.

The challenge in today's marketplace is to respond smartly to this growing demand for healthier diets as well as educate all consumers about the nutritional benefits and misconceptions of a fresh produce diet.

Before trying to sell to this sector, one should define who makes up this market. According to a recent Gallup study, singles are more likely to be vegetarian than married people — 8 percent versus 5 percent. The same study found that 5 percent of the adults surveyed claimed to be vegetarians. The demographics vary only slightly: 7 percent of women in the study considered themselves vegetarian, compared with 4 percent of men. Age favored a slightly older consumer, with 5 percent of people ages 18 to 29, 4 percent of ages 30 to 49, and 7 percent of those 50 and older.

Today's consumer comes to the marketplace preconditioned to search out fresh, healthy foods. Kids are being taught at a young age that eating healthy should be a priority. First Lady Michelle Obama promotes the advantages of eating more fruits and vegetables, for children and adults alike, through her own White House garden. Vegetarian meal options are now commonplace on many restaurant menus, in public school cafeterias and in college dining halls, offered alongside the usual meat and potatoes. The modern produce retailer can guide this ready-made audience to what it's looking for through innovative merchandising that takes advantage of pervasive new technologies.

Seizing the Moment

Retailers can seize this moment by aligning themselves with distributors that offer full-service, global sourcing capabilities to both organic and specialty produce supplies to meet this growing demand. Feature fresh products that offer customized recipe cards with QR symbols linked to websites that provide the shopper extended information. Create signage that lists and compares nutritional information at a glance. Address food safety issues by demonstrating how your organization uses the new field-to-farm traceability technologies to protect customers.

Today's tech-savvy generation can be turned into health-savvy consumers with the touch of a button or a few keystrokes. By using the tools of this tech age, retailers can both dispel the misconceptions of the older consumer and gain the attention of a younger demographic in publicizing the advantages of a fresh produce diet.

Vegetarianism is a win-win on all levels: taste, health and profit. Now more than ever, we need to meet vegetarian demands by listening to this growing category.

Debra Cohen is director of special projects for Vernon, Calif.-based Melissa's/World Variety Produce Inc.

The challenge in today's marketplace is to respond smartly to this growing demand for healthier diets, as well as educate all consumers about the nutritional benefits and misconceptions of a fresh produce diet.