New research from Mintel finds that more than one quarter of German millennials - a person reaching young adulthood around the year 2000 - would be willing to to pay more for pre-cut vegetables such as sliced carrots, chopped onions or stir-fry.
The study reveals how 26 per cent of consumers aged 16-24 and 27 per cent of those aged 25-34 say that they would pay extra for such products, compared to just 19 per cent of German consumers overall who say they would be happy to do so.
However, when compared to neighbouring Western European markets, the usage of convenient pre-cut and ready-to-eat fresh vegetables is still rather low in Germany.
While only one in 10 German consumers claim to regularly buy fresh ready-to-cook vegetables, 17 per cent of Italian, 17 per cent of Spanish, 16 per cent of Polish and 12 per cent of French consumers claim to regularly purchase these products.
Mintel research indicates that this is due to the fact that German consumers are less likely to eat vegetables incorporated in soup or other dishes - opting for raw vegetables instead.
While 35 per cent of Spanish, 29 per cent of French and 24 per cent of Italian consumers say they prefer to eat vegetables incorporated in soup or other dishes instead of on their own, less than one in five (19 per cent) of German consumers agree.
Commenting on the findings, Katya Witham, senior food & drink analyst at Mintel, said: “Evolving eating habits, the growth in single-person households and ever-increasingly busy lifestyles are driving demand for pre-packaged fresh produce in Germany.
"However, uptake of fresh pre-cut vegetables in Germany is relatively low in comparison to its European neighbours.
"This can be partially attributed to consumer concerns with regards to the safety, quality and freshness of pre-cut fresh produce, but also to differences in vegetable consumption patterns across the various regions.”
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