And it puts you in the midst of an important consumer trend. UT's Department of Food Science and Technology began research on minimally processed vegetables about five years ago. By definition, minimally processed vegetables can be washed, sanitized, peeled, cut up, and packaged, says Dr. Ann Draughon, a food microbiologist with the UT Agricultural Experiment Station. They have not been heated or cooked in any way. Just about anything you can find on those special vertical refrigerated units in the produce department.
Fruits also get in on the act-things like strawberries in special packages that preserve freshness.
You name it, she said, and someone is producing it. And consumers are buying it. A recent report from Supermarket Business said American consumer spending in grocery stores increased 22 percent from 1986 to 1996, with spending adjusted for inflation. Fresh vegetable sales have increased 36 percent while sales of frozen and canned vegetables are decreasing. Frozen carrots, for instance, dropped off some 31 percent between 1989 and 1997.