Broccoli, Added to Designated Staple Vegetables for the First Time in About 50 Years: Survey on Usage and Awareness

Salad Club Co., Ltd. (President and Representative Director: Akihito Shintani, Headquarters: Chofu City, Tokyo) announces the results of its "Broccoli Usage and Awareness Survey" in conjunction with broccoli's designation as a staple vegetable on April 1, 2026.

This survey was conducted with the aim of understanding the actual usage and psychology of broccoli consumers, in anticipation of its designation as a staple vegetable. The survey results are as follows:

<Key Topics> 1. "Designated Staple Vegetables," essential for daily life, have only 11.3% recognition and understanding. 2. Among those aware of "Designated Staple Vegetables," 60% are aware of broccoli's addition: Over 70% of people in their 60s show high interest. 3. Approximately 1 in 4 people purchase broccoli at least once a week. Young adults (20s) and seniors (60s-70s) are "heavy users" of broccoli. 4. The top two reasons for purchasing broccoli are "health" and "nutritional value." Women prioritize "color," while men emphasize "price and menu." 5. The "fresh broccoli" faction accounts for about 60% and is mainstream. The "frozen" faction is 20%, with some using both. 6. Dissatisfaction with broccoli includes "effort of boiling and waste" for fresh, and "texture" for frozen. 7. Over half of those who feel stressed about cooking broccoli show high intent to use Salad Club's "Sonoma Pakutto Vegetable."

[Survey Overview] Survey Method: Internet survey Survey Period: February 16-17, 2026 Survey Target: [Screening Survey] 2,000 men and women aged 15-70 nationwide. [Main Survey] 300 men and women aged 20-60 who purchased broccoli within the last month. Allocation Criteria: The main survey was evenly allocated with 30 participants for each gender and age group.

<Main Survey Results> 1. "Designated Staple Vegetables," essential for daily life, have only 11.3% recognition and understanding. Only 11.3% of people "know and understand the content" of "Designated Staple Vegetables." Even including those who have "heard the name," the recognition rate remains at 48.7%, indicating that more than half of the population is unaware of the "Designated Staple Vegetables" system.

[Q. Are you aware of the "Designated Staple Vegetables" system established by the government?] (Single answer, n=300)

2. Among those aware of "Designated Staple Vegetables," 60% are aware of broccoli's addition: Over 70% of people in their 60s show high interest. When asked those who "know or have heard the name" of the government's "Designated Staple Vegetables" system if they knew about broccoli's addition, 61.0% were aware, indicating high interest in broccoli becoming a designated staple vegetable. Particularly, people in their 60s showed the highest awareness rate at 70.8%, suggesting significant attention.

[Q. Were you aware that "broccoli" will be added to the designated staple vegetables from April 2026?] Question for those who know or have heard of the "Designated Staple Vegetables" system. (Single answer, n=146)

3. Approximately 1 in 4 people purchase broccoli at least once a week. Young adults (20s) and seniors (60s-70s) are "heavy users" of broccoli. The purchase frequency of broccoli shows that "heavy users" who purchase "at least once a week" account for 23.9%, indicating that it has become a staple for 1 in 4 people. More than half also purchase "at least once a month," suggesting that broccoli is used in many households.

The group that purchases broccoli 2-3 times a week or more is most prevalent among those in their 20s-30s, followed by those in their 60s-70s. This indicates that broccoli has become an indispensable ingredient in daily meals across a wide range of age groups.

4. The top two reasons for purchasing broccoli are "health" and "nutritional value." Women prioritize "color," while men emphasize "price and menu." The primary reason for purchasing and using broccoli is "because it seems good for health," followed by "because it has high nutritional value." This suggests that many consumers highly value broccoli not just as an ingredient, but as a "functional vegetable" for maintaining and promoting their health. Looking at gender-specific trends, 67.5% of women highly prioritize "because it adds good color," emphasizing the completeness and visual appeal of dishes. On the other hand, men show higher rates for items like "there's a favorite menu item" and "affordable price," indicating they prioritize taste preferences and cost-effectiveness when deciding to purchase.

[Q. Why do you purchase/use broccoli?] (Multiple answers, n=300)

5. The "fresh broccoli" faction accounts for about 60% and is mainstream. The "frozen" faction is 20%, with some using both. "Mainly cooking fresh" accounts for a high 60.3%, suggesting that many people prioritize the freshness and texture of broccoli. While "mainly frozen foods" was 20.7%, about 20% of people also use both fresh and frozen options.

[Q. How do you usually use broccoli? Please choose the one that is closest to your usage.] (Single answer, n=300)

6. Dissatisfaction with broccoli includes "effort of boiling and waste" for fresh, and "texture" for frozen. Dissatisfaction with broccoli appears to exist for both fresh broccoli (fresh faction) and frozen broccoli (frozen faction). For the fresh faction, burdens in the cooking process such as "scattered pieces when cutting florets (20.7%)", "effort of boiling water (20.0%)", and "checking for dirt and insects (19.3%)" seem to be psychological hurdles for busy modern people. On the other hand, for the frozen faction, dissatisfaction is concentrated on "texture when thawing (mushy/flabby: 22.3%)" and "wateriness (20.3%)". Texture appears to be a major factor reducing satisfaction, and while consumers are attracted to "ease of use," they seem to feel dissatisfied about having to compromise on taste.

[Q. Please select all that apply regarding your dissatisfactions with cooking or storing broccoli.] (Multiple answers, n=300)

7. Over half of those who feel stressed about cooking broccoli show high intent to use Salad Club's "Sonoma Pakutto Vegetable." 54.8% of those who have some dissatisfaction or trouble with cooking or storing broccoli responded that they "would like to use" "Sonoma Pakutto Vegetable" (Pakubegi). "Pakubegi" can be expected as a product that resolves these stresses and dissatisfactions.

[After reading the overview of "Sonoma Pakutto Vegetable," please choose the statement that best reflects your opinion.] (Single answer, n=221)

About "Sonoma Pakutto Vegetable Domestic Broccoli"

<Sonoma Pakutto Vegetable Domestic Steamed Broccoli>