Focus-group Sessions Suggest both Kids and Adults Enjoy Fresh Carrots

Carrots (Daucus carota) are an important dietary component. Beta carotene, a vitamin A precursor and major carrot nutrient, has long been associated with eyesight maintenance (Work and Family Life, 2001). Not only is beta carotene necessary for good vision and preventing eye-debilitating diseases such as cataracts, glaucoma, and infection (Goulart, 1996), but also eating carrots has been credited with lowering the risk of heart disease among male physicians compared with a control group (Nutrition Action Health Letter, 2001) and reducing the risk of colon (Slattery et al., 2000) and lung (Michaud et al., 2000) cancers. With a decline in several smaller North American carrot production areas, some growers are seeking new uses for the products they grow best. For example, while the production area in California has increased by about 29%, Michigan area experienced a 39% decrease from 1994 to 2000 (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2002). This trend was also evident for production volume of carrots and price ton for the two states. With a year-round production schedule, California is able to satisfy most of customer demand. Two large California firms were estimated to produce between 75% and 85% of all U.S. carrots, with Michigan firms supplying a low percentage to specialized businesses during their four months of production, from August through November (Michigan Carrot Committee Report, 2001). Carrots are a popular snack, with peeled precut bags of raw carrots available in supermarkets year-round. The convenience of these carrots meets the need for a nutritional snack and eliminates the time needed to peel, cut, and package them (Johnson, 2001). Carrots can be prepared many ways for meals by being cut, sliced, or shredded or by being added to stews, roasts, vegetables, rice, or pasta for side dishes (Johnson, 2001). Because carrots are such a beneficial, versatile product, we initiated this study with the primary objective to examine how parents in a test market representative of the U.S. on average prepare meals for their children by using carrots and how this vegetable competes with other food and snack items. We also wanted to determine how adults include carrots in their diet. Additionally, we asked questions regarding perceptions of certified organic versus conventionally grown products (to investigate potential interest in these products) and whether adults from the test-market would purchase, eat, and serve foods fortified with carrot extract and purees. Focus-group interviews are often implemented by businesses desiring extensive and/or qualitative input from different customer groups. Because both children and adults eat carrots, potentially for different reasons, we developed two-focus group sessions. These were conducted by MORPACE International, Inc., a professional market research firm in Farmington Hills, Mich., on 26 Oct. 2000, and examined the issues outlined above. Potential participants were contacted by telephone from a random list of residents in the Detroit area, which is considered a feasible test market with a population that closely resembles that, on average, of the U.S. (Waldrop, 1992). Businesses that collect test market information often extrapolate to other cities as an indication of how well the product tested might perform. To qualify for inclusion, the participants needed to respond to the following questions with at least one affirmative answer: 1) had served fresh carrots to their children within the last 3 months, or 2) had eaten fresh carrots within the last three months. Those qualifying were then asked to participate in the focus-group sessions. Participants were paid $50 for their time. Sessions were videotaped with permission. The study was approved by the University Commission on Research Involving Human Subjects. The first focus-group session included 12 children, ages 8 to 10 years, and lasted 30 min. During the session, children were asked what vegetables they ate, which of those they liked, if they ate carrots how they were consumed (e.g., as snacks or with a dip or in a salad). Questions were asked of the group, not systematically to individual participants, but most participants volunteered an answer or response to most questions. Verbal comments from most children indicated that they preferred raw, fresh carrots to either frozen or canned carrots. These carrots were eaten as snacks or salad ingredients. Cooked carrots were eaten as a side dish at mealtime. As a snack, raw, peeled, cut, and bagged carrots, known as baby carrots, dipped in dressings or sauces were preferred because of their small size. The children also tasted two samples of carrots that were sliced into coin shapes: certified organic carrots and conventionally grown carrots. Six of the 12 children indicated that overall they preferred the conventionally grown carrots, four preferred the organically grown carrots, and two expressed no preference. The parents of these children were interviewed next for about 1 h. They were asked to confirm their children’s answers. In the discussions that followed, the parents stated that although they served their children a variety of vegetables (which included lettuce, corn, and a wide variety of other vegetables); however, the children ate only those they liked. All parents responded that they purchased fresh Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station and Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-1325.