Fresh NZ-grown vegetables now even better value for cash strapped kiwis

The latest fall in prices shows that fresh, healthy New Zealand grown vegetables are now even better value.  

‘Times are tough for a lot of New Zealanders but one way to reduce cost and improve health is to Add One More Vegetable to meals prepared and cooked at home,’ says Vegetables NZ chair, John Murphy.

‘The other night, we added zucchini to a quiche, and our young kids were fine. Adding One More Vegetable can be as easy as that, especially at this time of year when a wide range of fresh vegetables are in season and plentiful supply, which is reflected in price levels.’

John says that up until recently, economists have been saying that vegetables are “expensive”.

‘What was missing in their commentary was that compared to some of the other items that shoppers buy, fresh in-season vegetables were still good value, particularly from a health and wellbeing point of view. It’s also surprising just many nutritious meals you make from those vegetables.’

Research by NielsenIQ for 5+ A Day to December 2023 shows that 50% of consumers spend between $11 to $30 a week on fresh fruit and vegetables.

‘That’s an indication of how low vegetable consumption is in New Zealand, which has a negative impact on wellbeing and adds millions of dollars to the cost of our health system,’ says John.

‘This situation is why we’ve launched the Add One More Vegetable campaign, to encourage people to take simple steps to boost their in-season vegetable consumption and improve their health.’