Strategies to Improve Sales of Imperfect Carrots
Published:21 Dec.2021 Source:Ohio State University
Explaining the value of misshapen vegetables -- that they are as healthful as their picture-perfect counterparts and buying them helps reduce food waste -- could help improve sales of "ugly" produce, new research suggests.
The study measured consumers' responses to hypothetical shopping scenarios for carrots. Participants were most open to buying bunches containing imperfect carrots after being presented with both of those marketing messages promoting ugly carrots' personal and societal benefits. Either message alone was not effective at convincing consumers to buy misfit carrots.