Consumer's food consciousness has increased, however, time for preparing healthy food has decreased. Therefore, the market of minimally processed vegetable has increased rapidly, giving rise to the appearance of fresh products that can be prepared and consumed faster than conventional foods. Thus, the objective of this work was to establish the behavior and profile of minimally processed vegetable consumers in supermarkets of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Based on the answers to a survey, the consumers profile was traced, highlighting preferences, habits, complaints and demands. The survey was conducted with consumers of five supermarkets which sell minimally processed vegetables (MPV). Consumers were chosen randomly when they were buying in November 2004. Of two hundred and forty six interviewed persons, 23% were consumers of MPV. The main reasons for consumption were: easiness and feasibility (46%); short preparation time (21%) of meals and hygiene (11%) of the products; and the main reasons against consumption were: the high price of the precuts (31,9%); easy to prepare and/or to choose (23%) and distrusting (17,8%) the offered products. The major consumers were those with a better education. Comparing the overrating of MPV with other vegetables, a variation of 2,4 (potato) to 39,5 times (carrots) was found. On average the overrating found in markets for eleven MPV was of 10 times.
minimally processing; consumer; market research
