PMA, The Hartman Group publish ‘Transparency 2015’ study

To provide insights into consumer behaviors driving fresh fruit and vegetable sales, Produce Marketing Association (PMA) has expanded its partnership with The Hartman Group and announced three new consumer trends reports.

The Hartman Group’s syndicated study “Transparency 2015, Establishing Trust with Consumers” is available now; two additional studies on “Culture of Food” and “Healthy Eating Trends and Lifestyles” will follow.

A webinar series covering the new studies is also planned to help produce industry members further translate findings into everyday application. The “Transparency 2015” webinar, presented by The Hartman Group’s CEO Laurie Demeritt, will be held May 20 and is free to PMA members.

“Transparency is the term mentioned in boardrooms, annual reports, marketing messaging and press relations as one of the key practices for doing right by consumers, and is often the platform from which companies protect brand reputation and shareholder value,” said Eileen O’Leary, PMA market research manager. “Being more transparent, from the corporate mindset, is to manage one’s public image; however, as the Transparency 2015 study shows, from a consumer’s vantage point, transparency is much more than corporate and social responsibility.”

PMA members can expect this new series of syndicated studies from the research firm to cover:

• “Transparency 2015, Establishing Trust with Consumers” – Explores consumers’ evolutions, adoptions and aspirations in the environmental- and social-values marketplace and how these attitudes shape their purchase decisions. Available now.
• “Culture of Food” – A look at America’s diverse and dynamic food culture from the eaters’ (i.e., consumers’) point of view, exploring areas in our food culture that are ready for innovation whether it be in the form of products, services or menus; and key drivers that will fuel these innovations. Available fall 2015.
• “Healthy Eating Trends and Lifestyles” – Examines consumers’ perspectives on what it means to “eat healthy,” exploring consumers’ demands and how lifestyle aspirations, motivations and challenges influence purchase decisions and shopping behaviors. Available first quarter 2016.

To register for the May 20 webinar, visit PMA’s website.