Assessing Consumer Interest in Value-Added Processed Apple Products

A total of 507 consumers, who were age 21 and older, the primary food shopper for the household, and who resided in the Philadelphia Metropolitan, participated in a 10-minute Internet-based survey (administered 16 to 22 July 2008) for the purpose of studying consumer cooking and food preparation and potential demand for value-added processed apple products.  Results can assist produce industry members with determining which segments of consumers are more likely to purchase such products, and assist with identify value-added apple products that are most likely to appeal.  When asked how often participants purchase cut and packaged apples or products made with apples such as juices, baking mixes, sauces, and pastries, the most common responses among all participants was “a few times a year” (35.5 percent). Participants living in households with two or more children were less likely to select “I do not purchase” processed apple products (16.5 percent) than participants with one child or living in households without children (24.7 and 32.1 percent, respectively).  Pertaining to specific processed apple products, participants with a gross annual household income of $50,000 to $75,999 (40.2 percent) were more likely to have purchased “breakfast foods made with apples” compared to participants in all other income levels (16.7 to 31.8 percent).   Additionally, participants age 21 to 36 purchased similar or greater quantity of baby food made with apples, apple sauce, apple jelly and jam, or apple butter, frozen apple products, and apple fruit leather, fruit candies, or snack bars made with apples than consumers in other age ranges.  Regarding how likely consumers would be to purchase a ready-to-eat food item, those age 37 to 48 were more likely (41.5 percent) to purchase an item for lunch that “would not need to be heated or reheated” than participants age 21 to 36 and 49 and older.  If the lunch item “would need to only be heated or reheated” then consumers age 21 to 36 were more likely to purchase the item (50.7 percent) than consumers age 49 and older.  Participants age 65 and older were among the age groups who expressed that they “would not purchase” these products along with consumers residing in households without children.