Sweet potato doughnuts, beetroot colouring and capsicum-infused gel to tone your abs, these are amongst the strange and unique vegetable-based products that could be how Australian farmers make their profits in the future.
Vegetable industry representative AUSVEG says that unusual vegetable products are being increasing sold within Australia and that growers need to start thinking of new ways of selling their produce.
“Vegetables are versatile ingredients with a range of uses, from boosting the nutrition and flavour of a meal to adding a shot of colour to a product,” said AUSVEG Deputy CEO Andrew White.
“While there are products where you’d expect to get a serving of vegetables, like beetroot crisps and vegetarian dumplings, we’re also seeing companies using vegetables in unconventional ways and offering options like purple sweet potato Kit Kats and pumpkin parfait,” said White.
“These innovative products show that getting vegetables into your diet doesn’t just mean having a pile of chopped veggies on the side of your dinner plate, there is a range of exciting choices to increase your vegetable consumption,” White said.
Snacks culture trend
AUSVEG is especially encouraging producers to remember Australia’s snacking culture if they are considering creating any new food products.
“We know that there’s a significant trend of Australians snacking between meals, and there are great opportunities in this area for vegetable products,” said White.
“As well as the proven favourites like vegetable crisps or pre-cut vegetables, we’ve also seen innovative product launches in Australia, such as freeze-dried beetroot and sweet potato and cinnamon yoghurt,” White said.
“Australian growers produce the best-quality vegetables in the world, and by bringing the flavour and nutrition of these delicious veggies to other food products, the industry has a chance to expand the way Australian consumers think about when and how they get vegetables into their diet,” White concluded.
