A Study on the Utilization and Satisfaction of Fresh-Cut Fruit and Vegetables in Korean Adults by Food-Related Lifestyle

This study investigated the utilization and satisfaction of fresh-cut fruit and vegetables according to the food-related lifestyle. From May to July 2025, an online survey was administered nationwide to adults aged 20 years and older, and 305 participants responded to self-administered questionnaires. Subsequently, the characteristics, purchasing frequency, utilization, importance, and satisfaction scores were analyzed. The respondents were categorized into ‘health-type (n=81)’, ‘convenience-type (n=78)’, ‘taste-type (n=83)’, and ‘economy-type (n=63)’ based on their food-related lifestyle. Among fresh-cut vegetables, 90.49% of the participants consumed washed or peeled vegetables, whereas 67.21% consumed pre-cut or minced vegetables. For fruit, 72.46% of participants consumed washed or peeled fruits, while 57.38% consumed pre-cut fruits. Approximately 58.69% of all participants identified ‘convenience of cooking’ as the most important reason for purchasing fresh-cut fruit and vegetables. The taste-type showed the highest proportion of participants who washed after purchasing (78.31%, p<0.05), and they considered the ‘origin of ingredients’ as the primary criterion for assessing food safety (p<0.001). The ‘freshness’(rated at 4.81 points) was the most important factor when purchasing fresh-cut fruit and vegetables. The overall satisfaction score with fresh-cut fruit and vegetables was above average at 3.76 points, but the satisfaction with the ‘price’ was the lowest at 3.39 points. Importance– satisfaction analysis showed that the satisfaction levels for freshness, price, package size, hygienic condition of packaging, and product diversity were consistently lower than the importance levels. In ISA analysis, ‘freshness,’ ‘hygiene condition of packaging,’ and ‘convenience of purchasing’ were located in the first quadrant for the health-type and taste-type. Therefore, the characteristics of consumers must be considered when developing customized strategies to expand the use of fresh-cut fruit and vegetables.