Citrus industry health and nutrition education program (CT21006)
What's it all about?
This project is educating healthcare professionals on the nutritional, health, and culinary benefits of citrus fruit consumption. The aim is to increase domestic consumer demand for Australian citrus by improving knowledge, attitudes, and consumption trends.
New research has demonstrated the population do not consume enough vitamin C and that the daily recommended daily intake should double. A key factor to low citrus consumption rates is a result of health care professionals holding negative health views about citrus juice and an overall decline in the perception of citrus fruits’ relevancy.
Examples of the content that will be produced through this project are:
- An interactive webpage that will host resources developed throughout the course of the project.
- Four email newsletters to communicate projects outputs, updates on resources, highlight events and drive traffic to the webpage.
During this reporting period, to measure the effectiveness of the overall project and gain market insights, a baseline audience sentiment research (ASR) survey was designed for HCPs. This survey captured:
- Knowledge levels of the nutritional properties and health benefits of citrus and 100 per cent juice.
- Perception and opinions of citrus and 100 per cent juice in the diet; and
- Behaviour and frequency around recommending citrus and 100 per cent to clients.
The survey was promoted to HCPs through a targeted social media strategy and organic sharing via NRAUS networks.
A total of 364 eligible HCPs completed the survey, exceeding the target of 200, with 356 HCPs signing up to the Citrus HCP database. The findings from the market research survey were used to inform the nutrition and health landscaping insights gathered as part of the NutritioniQ strategic process.
At the end of this reporting period, a strong database of subscribers to the Citrus HCP database was established with the successful recruitment of a total of 393 subscribers, obtained from the ASR and a dedicated EDM to the NRAUS database.
This project is a strategic levy investment in the Hort Innovation Citrus Fund