Brits Embrace Healthy ‘Eat The Rainbow’ Mantra As Demand For Colourful Veg Soars
- Sarah-Jayne Gratton
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Consumers in the UK are increasingly embracing the “Eat The Rainbow” approach to diet, with vibrant vegetables seeing strong uplifts in demand, according to recent data from Tesco.
The trend highlights a growing emphasis on the nutritional value of variety and colour in fruit and vegetable consumption.
Demand Surge Across Colourful Vegetables
Tesco reports significant growth in sales of vibrantly-coloured veg, particularly in the latest season. Some of the standout increases include:
Rainbow carrots: demand up by 100 per cent this autumn.
Pink onions: also up 100 per cent this autumn.
Rainbow chard: demand up 70 per cent this autumn.
Cavolo Nero (black cabbage): demand up around 30 per cent over the last year.
In response to this shift, Tesco’s brassica buyer, Simon Tenwick, confirmed that the retailer will add red kale to its range “as a direct result of this rainbow vegetables trend.”
The data reflects not just isolated spikes but a wider change in consumer behaviours, as shoppers appear to be actively seeking colourful vegetable products to boost nutritional intake.
Nutritional And Consumer Insight
Nutritionist Natasha Maynard of Tesco emphasises the underpinning logic: consuming a variety of colours means obtaining a broader spectrum of vitamins and minerals. She notes that each colour group — red, green, yellow, white, purple and orange — represents different nutrients, so aiming for one portion from each group can maximise health benefits.
This message appears to be resonating as the colourful-veg segment’s growth coincides with consumers’ heightened interest in health, wellness and visible variety on the plate.
Implications For Growers And Supply Chain
The trend is rippling upstream. Growers supplying Tesco are reacting with adjustments in crop mix and planting decisions. One grower who has reported the trend is A H Worth, based near Spalding in Lincolnshire who has started growing rare red kale which is to be launched at Tesco in the coming weeks.
The company has also seen demand for Cavolo Nero unexpectedly soar by 20 per cent in the last year.
And nearby brassica specialist grower, TH Clements, of Boston, Lincolnshire has seen demand for purple sprouting broccoli rocket so much that it now grows three times as much as it did in 2022.
For the fresh-produce industry, this poses several strategic take-aways:
Product development: developing more varieties with striking colour profiles may capture consumer interest.
Supply planning: growers and packers may need to shift acreage and production timing to match emerging favourites.
Marketing and merchandising: highlighting “rainbow” appeal on-pack or in-store could strengthen value-perception for premium colourful lines.
Nutrition-driven storytelling: retailers and suppliers can lean into health messaging with more impact as consumer literacy around varied vegetable intake rises.
The “Eat The Rainbow” phenomenon suggests a sustained behavioural shift rather than a short-lived fad. From an editorial and strategic vantage point for the fresh produce sector, a few key points emerge:
Growth potential: Colour-driven vegetable lines appear to enjoy above-average growth, representing an opportunity for value creation.
Supply-chain flexibility: As demand diversifies, producers and distributors must remain agile in varietal selection and logistics.
Communication strategy: Nutrition-led narratives around variety and colour resonate strongly with shoppers and can bolster category engagement.
Sustainability dimension: Encouraging more vegetable consumption contributes to broader sustainability and health-policy objectives—a useful framing for corporate social responsibility storytelling.
Tesco’s recent data points the fresh produce sector towards a vivid new frontier: colour counts, variety matters and the fresh “rainbow” frame offers a powerful lens through which producers, retailers and marketers can align growth, health and consumer preference.
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