As the ethnic diversity across the world continues to expand its wings, consumer dietary preferences also are undergoing significant changes. A perfect example is the United States of America.
A few years from now, the United States of America will no longer have a race or ethnicity that can claim itself to be the majority. Diverse groups bring along diverse cultures, especially when it comes to food. When they do not find what they want, they are prepared to go any length to procure their favorite food. One such example is tropical fruits and tropical vegetables.
Tropical Fruits and Vegetables – Popularity in the US
The rise of diverse cultures in the US society is not the only reason for the exponential increase in the demand for tropical fruits and vegetables. A rise in literacy rates, income, and awareness about a healthy and nutritious diet has played a significant role. Add to this the influence of cooking shows on TV that are forever introducing people to exotic recipes made using tropical fruits and root vegetables.
Today, one can find more than 50 varieties of tropical fruits and vegetables in the United States of America, more than double what existed around 20 years ago. There are popular tropical fruits like mangoes, papaya, pineapples, avocado, and bananas that constitute approximately 90% of the sales. However, specialty tropical fruits like durian, guavas, rambutan, passion fruit, jackfruit, sapote, lychees, and sapodilla are fast catching up and growing in popularity as customers continue to explore new and exciting varieties.
Similarly, as customers increasingly look to shift towards healthy eating habits, the share of root vegetables like yam, beetroot, tapioca, yuca, horseradish, etc., in the total demand for tropical vegetables is growing as each day passes.
What Does it Mean for the US Economy?
The Tropical fruits and vegetable market presents a remarkable opportunity for driving and expanding consumer perishable produce sales. Merchandising teams and sales personnel at supermarkets are speeding up their efforts to display peppers vegetable and fruits on the aisles to increase desire. An increasing number of food joints are incorporating tropical fruits and peppers vegetables in their menus to satisfy customer expectations. It ultimately benefits the farmers down the supply chain as they stand to earn more with growing demand.
The Future of US Tropical Fruits and Vegetables Industry
Worldwide, the annual production of tropical fruits and vegetables is expected to grow between 4-5% by 2024. The consumption, too, is projected to increase, primarily because of the increase in the number of middle-class families.
Presently, California and Southern Florida grow various seasonal tropical fruits. Unfortunately, as the production does not happen around the year, the US has to import a substantial quantity to cater to the demand. Currently, Mexico is the biggest exporter of fresh tropical fruits to the US.
Parting Thoughts
The US government is making efforts to increase the production of tropical fruits and vegetables all year round. Quite frankly, with the global tropical fruits and vegetable market opening up gradually after the Covid-19 onslaught, it does not have any other choice. It can either choose to gear up for the competition or be left out.
