Consumer evaluation of 'Veggycation®', a website promoting the health benefits of vegetables.

Issue addressed Whether the website Veggycation® appeals to particular groups of consumers significantly more than other groups. Methods Australian adults aged ≥18 years (n = 1000) completed an online survey. The website evaluation instrument used was tested for validity and reliability. Associations between demographic variables and website evaluation dimensions of attractiveness, content, user-friendliness and loyalty intentions were examined using a general linear model (GLM). The appraisal of the website was further investigated based on the respondents' daily consumption level of vegetables and the importance they attach to vegetable consumption in their diet, using GLM and a Tukey's all-pair comparison. Results Veggycation® has a high level of acceptance among the Australian community with certain groups evaluating the website more favourably. These include women, people aged≤29 years, higher income respondents, non-metro respondents and those who viewed vegetables as extremely important in their daily diet. Conclusions Customisation of the website for consumer groups with low vegetable consumption is recommended. Designing tailored communication tools will assist in enhancing the knowledge base of vegetable-related health benefits and may promote vegetable consumption among the Australian population. So what? The promotion of higher vegetable consumption is aided by tailored, well-designed web communication. This study adds to the existing body of knowledge for the education of organisations developing e-tools for promoting health education and literacy.

Australian consumer awareness of health benefits associated with vegetable consumption.

AIM: The present study investigated the perceived health benefits of specific vegetable consumption to guide the use of nutrition and health claims on vegetable marketing collateral. METHODS: Free elicitation and consumer ranking data were collected through an online survey of 1000 adults from across Australia and analysed for the perceived importance of vegetables in the daily diet, number of serves consumed per day, knowledge about health-related benefits of specific vegetables and perceived health benefits of vegetable consumption. RESULTS: The importance of vegetables in the diet and daily vegetable consumption was higher in people from an English-speaking background, females, people aged 45 years and over and people living in non-metropolitan areas. Digestion was selected as the major health benefit from consumption of specific vegetables. However, understanding of the health benefits of specific vegetable consumption was relatively low among consumers. Half of the respondents were not sure of the health benefits associated with specific vegetables, except for carrots and spinach. Some respondents volunteered nutrient content or other information. CONCLUSIONS: There was no clear indication that consumers understand the specific health benefits conferred by consumption of vegetables. Nutrient and health benefit labelling therefore has the capacity to enhance knowledge of vegetable consumers. It is recommended that health benefit labelling be tailored to promote greater consumption of vegetables in those demographic groups where vegetable consumption was lower. The present study assists the Australian vegetable industry in helping consumers make more informed consumption choices.

Promoting consumption of fruit and vegetables for better health. Have campaigns delivered on the goals?

Daily intake of fruits and vegetables worldwide remains well below the recommended WHO levels, despite the established health benefits associated with fruit and vegetable consumption. A diversity of policy interventions designed to increase consumption have been conducted in the developed economies around the globe for over a decade, involving significant monetary outlays. The impact of these initiatives remains at best, modest to low, in effecting a significant increase in daily consumption on a sustained basis. Several factors have been identified in both promoting and impeding the increase in fruit and vegetable consumption, including the effects of consumer behaviour. This paper reviews several of the major promotional campaigns from around the world and provides analysis of their level of success, with a view to developing novel approaches for formulating more effective marketing and promotional interventions that will prompt significant change.