Innovative Food Brands Sneak Veggies on to Your Plate

Clean eating is taking over as more people connect their health to the food they eat. Many consumers are moving away from eating artificial ingredients for better and healthier options. Food companies are taking advantage by adding fruits and veggies to a variety of convenient foods that consumers eat.

The Clean Eating Shift

This shift towards clean eating has not gone undetected by food manufacturers. As a result, many manufacturers have developed new products with one goal in mind and that is to create delicious products charged with clean ingredients.

In a study conducted by the Produce for Better Health Foundation in 2015, researchers noted that the per capita consumption of vegetable decreased to 7% in the years 2009 to 2014. This was attributed to people consuming fewer side dishes during their meals.

The US Department of Agriculture recommends eating at least five cups of fruits and vegetables every day, but Americans only average two cups daily. This dietary problem was acknowledged and seen as an incredible opportunity for food manufacturers to create food products that use fruits and vegetables creatively to fill the nutritional void in most Americans.

Innovative Hidden Veggies

Companies such as Archer Daniels Midland, Green Giant and B&G Foods are now rolling out new products that sneak fruits and vegetables in them. For instance, the Green Giant brand introduced a new line of frozen veggie products like mashed cauliflower, veggie tots, and roasted vegetables.

Vice president and general manager of Green Giant, Jordan Greenberg, noted that many consumers are looking for products that are not only convenient but also healthy. Many companies are seeking alternatives to starches as well as looking for ways on how to introduce vegetables to children in the most appealing ways.

While this trend is very popular today, many marketing analysts of food companies believe that the trend will not die down anytime soon. In the food prediction trend called The Pinterest 100, the website noted that people will still continue to follow the trend of cutting their calorie intake by swapping vegetables for their carbohydrate and meat comfort foods.

Aside from prepared foods and meals, food manufacturers have also created drinks that are based on fruits and vegetables. Unique combinations of fruit drinks like ginger-pumpkin-orange or cucumber-kiwi-spinach have already found their way onto store shelves.

With the increasing obesity rate in the United States, many Americans are trying to eat clean and better. The problem is that most consumers are not willing to give up their comfort foods, so they don’t bother doing clean eating at all. As a result, a large population of Americans remains overweight. To answer the need of consumers for satisfying yet clean and healthy foods, many food businesses have found a new niche and have innovative products that incorporate fruits, vegetables, and other natural ingredients to provide real nutrition and not just empty calories to consumers. This results in a win-win situation for both consumers and food manufacturers.

Inspired by fooddive.com/news/vegetable-food-innovation