Vegetable Consumption Wilts In The Canadian Winter

Toronto, ON - Many Canadians report consuming fewer servings of vegetables in the winter than in the summer, according to a new Ipsos Reid/Campbell Company of Canada survey. Specifically, almost half of Canadians (47%) indicate that they consume fewer vegetable servings on a typical winter day than on a typical summer day, and a majority (56%) agree that, "I find it harder to consume enough vegetables in the winter than in the summer."

What underlies this challenge? The main reasons provided by those who do find it harder to consume enough vegetables in the winter are that, "fresh vegetables are too expensive in the winter" (70%), "the fresh vegetables available in the winter are of low/poor quality" (60%), and "there is not enough variety of fresh produce available in the winter" (46%). These top reasons relate to different aspects of fresh vegetables, and almost all Canadians (94%) agree that, "eating fresh vegetables is the ideal way of including vegetables in your diet."

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of The Campbell Company of Canada from November 17-21, 2006. For the survey, a representative, randomly selected sample of 1,129 adult Canadians completed an online survey. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 177 2.9 percentage points at a confidence interval of 95 per cent. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. These data are weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to Census data.

Almost Half Of Canadians (47%) Indicate That They Consume Fewer Vegetable Servings On A Typical Winter Day Than On A Typical Summer Day

• It is more common for winter servings to lag behind summer servings of vegetables in lower-income households (under $30,000 annually - 48%) and middle-income households (between $30,000 and $60,000 - 50%) than in higher-income households ($60,000 or more - 43%)
• Wealthier Canadians are more likely than those in middle-income households to report consuming the same number of servings from season to season (23% vs. 16%)

A Majority Of Canadians (56%) Agree With The Statement That, "I Find It Harder To Consume Enough Vegetables In The Winter Than In The Summer."

56% of Canadians agree that it's harder to consume enough vegetables in the colder months of the year (44% disagree).

• Seasonality appears to be less of an issue along the Atlantic coast (46% in Atlantic Canada agree) and Pacific coast (51% in British Columbia agree) and more of an issue in Quebec (59%) and Alberta (59%)
• Women are more likely to agree than men (60% vs. 52%)
• Those in households with children feel the challenge more intensely than those in adult-only households (63% vs. 54%)
• With more formal education, seasonality seems to become less of a problem - 63% of non-high school graduates, 58% of high school graduates, 56% of those who have completed some post-secondary education, and 51% of university graduates agree with this statement

High Price, Poor Quality, And Lack Of Availability Are Making It Difficult For Canadians To Get Enough Vegetables In The Winter

Seven in ten (70%) Canadians who find it harder to consume enough vegetables in the winter point out that fresh vegetables are too expensive in the winter.

Among those who find it harder to consume enough vegetables in the winter, six in ten (60%) identify the low/poor quality of fresh vegetables during this season as a reason for this challenge.

• Men (65%) are more likely than women (56%) to point to this particular reason
• Young adults aged 18 to 34 years (67%) are the age group most likely to take issue with the quality of the fresh vegetables available in the winter
• University graduates (75%) are more likely to cite this reason than are those who didn't complete high school (58%), who finished high school (52%), or who finished some post-secondary education (62%)

Most Canadians (94%) Think That "Eating Fresh Vegetables Is the Ideal Way Of Including Vegetables In Your Diet"

Almost all (94%) Canadians agree that "eating fresh vegetables is the ideal way of including vegetables in your diet." 59% agree "strongly", 35% agree "somewhat", while just 6% disagree with this statement

For more information on this press release, please contact:
John Wright
Senior Vice President
Ipsos Public Affairs
(416) 324-2900

About Ipsos Public Affairs
Ipsos Public Affairs is a non-partisan, objective, survey-based research company made up of campaign and political polling veterans as well as seasoned research professionals. The company conducts strategic research initiatives for a diverse number of American and international organizations, based not only on public opinion research but often elite stakeholder, corporate, and media opinion research. It has offices in Chicago, New York City, Ottawa, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver, and Washington, D.C., with affiliates around the world. Ipsos Public Affairs conducts national and international public opinion polling on behalf of The Associated Press, the world's oldest and largest news organization. Ipsos Public Affairs is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.

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