Focus on innovation within vegetable convenience

Meals always have to be quickly and easily prepared, but consumers also want to eat healthily. The space created between these two factors is where processed fresh produce can find opportunities. The growth within this segment is two-fold: the traditional products are sold more, but the market is also growing due to the introduction of new products. Vezet and Dutch supermarket chain Albert Heijn are working together on improvements within the supply of processed fresh produce.

“We see our turnover growing every year,” says Madelon van den Heuvel of Vezet. “Innovations that make it easier to consume more vegetables are doing very well.” Some examples of these innovations are vegetable pasta and rice, puree soups and snack fruit. “Last year we won the Dutch Annual Price for Good Food with our courgette spaghetti and cauliflower rice.” Fedde Jonker adds: “You can see room being created between the processed and unprocessed sides of fresh produce. Sometimes people want to do more themselves, but we’re also seeing demand for products to which we add, for instance, croutons or herbs.” The main question Vezet and Albert Heijn are trying to answer is asked by Fedde: “How can we make the products tastier so that more fruit and vegetables are consumed?”

How can this be seen on shop floors? “We want to surprise consumers with new products, and we study how products are received,” says Cristina Calceanu, category manager for Albert Heijn. For coming years, Albert Heijn has set up a growth plan for the entire fresh produce department, including processed fruit and vegetables. “Part of this plan is that we’ll introduce more innovations and new concepts.” To that end existing concepts will be carefully examined, the assortment of soup vegetables, for example, was critically looked at.

Within soups, soup vegetables is a product group that is doing well, but within the soup segment, more was possible. “Besides soup vegetables used in broth, there’s also an opportunity for smoothly pureed soups. This is a new concept that really needs more room on the shelves, so we’ll create room for that,” Cristina continues. In September last year, these new fresh puree soups were introduced. “It’s a recent example with which we were successful,” she says. “We looked for a new way to have consumers eat more vegetables. We were successful, and at the same time, we managed to expand our soup segment.” They chose a smooth soup, a new concept that appeals to another group of consumer. “The consumers who buy farmers’ soup vegetables, didn’t switch to puree soups,” Cristina exemplifies. “They are new consumers that didn’t prepare traditional fresh soup in the past.”

The assortment now consists of three kinds of puree soups, but extensions to the range are already being thought of. “We’re already developing new variants for the summer and winter months of 2018 as well.” That way, the seasons are reflected in the range. The mushroom mix is a second example with which the seasons are clearly distinguishable. The composition of the mushroom mix changes every season, and the herbs are also adjusted. “Consumers want to try different things as well, and this way we can inspire them to eat more vegetables,” Cristina says.

Other concepts approach a category from a different angle, such as vegetable rice and pasta. These are two product categories through which consumers eat more vegetables, but the location of the products in shops proved to be tricky. Should it be in the vegetable department, or in the rice and pasta department? “We’ve had quite a discussion about where to place these products,” Fedde says. In Albert Heijn, these products can be found by the rice and pasta. “After all, people use these as replacement for rice and pasta,” he explains.

The idea to develop vegetable pasta and rice was inspired by the many consumers, families with children for example, who want to eat more vegetables but fewer carbs, but this turned out to be difficult. “The vegetable pasta and rice can be used in many different ways, and they can also be added to regular pasta, for instance,” says Cristina. It’s an added advantage that the complete vegetable can be processed. “It’s very sustainable because of that.”

Despite all of the developments in the segment of processed fresh produce, some products won’t be found on the convenience shelves. The reason for this is simple: it’s not yet possible to properly process these products. “Exotics like avocado are very interesting, but the shelf life of these products is tricky,” says Madelon. “We put the bar very high for ourselves in that.” This means the products have to have a shelf life of some days without using of preservatives, colouring agents or additives. “We still have some types of fruit and vegetables that we have on our wish list,” Fedde admits. “Aubergine is a great vegetable with a beautiful colour as well.”

This is affected by the quality requirements of Vezet and Albert Heijn. “We’re constantly looking at how to improve the quality of our existing products,” Madelon says. “For example, drying the spinach or lettuce, but we’re also working with our growers to achieve better quality. This resulted in us being able to extend shelf life by a day.”

The growth, however, isn’t just due to the new products in the assortment. “We naturally have to surprise people with new products, but the growth also has to come from the existing segment,” Fedde says. Because of the growth in the segment , the turnover rate has also increased, so that products on the shelves are fresher. “Last year we also continued growing with hotchpotch,” he continues. “That is growth for which you don’t necessarily need more shelf space.”

All of these developments coincide with an overarching theme in which consumers use fewer seasonings and get more flavour from the combination of vegetables by using fresh puree soups and fresh sauces. “That’s fun to see,” Fedde says. “We’re now seeing this trend, but it’s a shame we can’t measure if consumers have actually started eating more fruit and vegetables.” The Dutch vegetable cutting plant and the supermarket chain have the ambition to see this higher consumption reflected in statistics. “Everyone knows it’s healthy, but consumers think it’s difficult to prepare vegetables in such a way that they taste good. Processed fresh produce can respond to this,” Cristina concludes. Fedde takes it one step further: “I think we’re successful in making Albert Heijn customers eat healthier than the primary consumers of other supermarkets.”