Many Canadians Say Their Busy-Lifestyles (41%) Make It Hard For Them To Eat Enough Vegetables

- The Vegetable Report -

Toronto, ON - While the majority of Canadians (85%) are eating most of their daily vegetables at dinner-time, many say that because of their busy life-styles, they find it hard to prepare and eat enough vegetables (41%), and that "without making a pretty big effort to prepare an interesting mix, vegetables can be pretty boring to eat" (31%). One in four (24%) also admit that "often there are not enough different types of vegetables available for me to purchase at the grocery store."

In fact, when asked what types of things are preventing their household from eating vegetables more often, substantial proportions of Canadians point to issues like "vegetables spoil too quickly" (21%), "fresh vegetables are too expensive" (21%), "the amount of time/work it takes to prepare vegetables" (18%) and that "some vegetables are not available throughout the year" (17%).

Further, it would appear that half of Canadian adults (49%) say they do not eat vegetables every day. And, according to 53% of Canadian parents, their children do not eat vegetables at least everyday. One in ten Canadians (10%) indicate their household would eat more vegetables, but their kids or family won't eat them.

So, what types of vegetables are favourites among Canadian households?: "Potatoes" (50%) and "carrots" (44%) rate first and second respectively, followed by "broccoli" (35%), "corn" (32%), and "mushrooms" (22%).

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted for General Mills and fielded from February 8th to 15th, 2007. For the survey, a representative weighted sample of 1000 adult Canadians were interviewed via an on-line survey vehicle, and two booster-samples in the cities of Edmonton (n=350) and Calgary (n=350) were harvested to allow for additional regional analysis. The sample used in this study has been weighted according to Census data to accurately reflect the population of Canadians. With a sample of this size, the aggregate results are considered accurate to within 177 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had this entire population been polled. The margin of error will be larger within each sub-grouping of the survey population.

Children Aren't Eating Their Vegetables As Often As Adults - Children In Edmonton Lag More Than Those In Calgary...

While half of Canadian adults (49%) often do not eat any vegetables on a given day, they still tend to eat them more frequently then do children. Fifty-one percent of adult Canadians say they eat vegetables "at least every day" vs. 47% among children (according to parents) - representing a 4% gap between kids and adults.

Question: Thinking about just yourself, would you say you eat vegetables... And thinking about your children, do they eat vegetables...

  • Children in Edmonton (8% gap) lag further behind adults than do children in Calgary (3% gap) when it comes to eating vegetables everyday.

Potatoes Top The List Of Household Favourites...

Question: And, which of the following vegetables is your household's favourite to eat? (Total responses)

  • Those with kids in the household are more likely to rate carrots (50%) and corn (47%) as household favourites than are those with no kids.
  • Potatoes are more popular in the homes of Edmontonians (52%) than they are in the homes of Calgarians (47%), while broccoli is more popular in Calgary than Edmonton (38% vs. 31%).
  • Across the country, Atlantic Canadians are the ones that are most fond of potatoes (62%) and carrots (60%).
  • Residents of Quebec prefer carrots (57%) over any other vegetable (potatoes ranks 2nd at 48%).

Dinner Is When Most (85%) Eat Their Vegetables...

Question: At which meal does your household usually eat most of their daily intake of vegetables?

  • No demographic variances are apparent.

So, Why Aren't Canadians Eating More Vegetables?

Question: Which of the following things would you say at least partly prevent your household from eating vegetables more often?

  • No demographic differences are apparent.

Dinner Is When Most (85%) Eat Their Vegetables...

Question: For each statement, please tell me if you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, or strongly disagree: [RANDOMIZE]

  • Residents of British Columbia are the most likely to disagree with the statement "frozen vegetables are nutritious as fresh" (43%).
  • Those without kids in their household are more likely to agree with the statement that "what types of vegetables I buy and eat changes with the seasons and what I can buy fresh" (78% vs. 70% among those with children).
  • Residents of Saskatchewan/Manitoba (54%) are the most likely to agree with the statement "because of my busy life-style I find it hard to prepare and eat enough vegetables", followed by residents of Alberta (46%), Ontario (43%), British Columbia (41%) and Quebec (34%).
  • Residents of Alberta (38%) and those with lower levels of household income (40% among those with less than $30K) are the most likely to agree with the statement that "I would eat more vegetables if I knew which ones were best for me and the different types of nutritional value each type of vegetable offers."

For more information on this press release, please contact:
Elen Alexov
Director, Marketing Services
Ipsos North America
(778) 373-5136
[email protected]

About Ipsos Reid
Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader, the country's leading provider of public opinion research, and research partner for loyalty and forecasting and modelling insights. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 600 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in the country, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and online panels. Ipsos Reid's marketing research and public affairs practices offer the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada, all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, Ipsos Reid offers syndicated information or custom solutions across key sectors of the Canadian economy, including consumer packaged goods, financial services, automotive, retail, and technology & telecommunications. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.

To learn more, please visit www.ipsos.ca.

Ipsos
Ipsos is a leading global survey-based market research company, owned and managed by research professionals. Ipsos helps interpret, simulate, and anticipate the needs and responses of consumers, customers, and citizens around the world.

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