Broccoli haters enjoy fruits of smoothie-makers' labour

By: Andy Morton - 27 February 2013 12:57

Vegetable smoothies are nothing new - Jennifer Aniston, for one, has been drinking them for some time, while teen band One Direction, for another, reportedly use them to fight off spots.

But last week, independent smoothie maker Savse launched its vegetable-and-fruit concoctions in the UK while yesterday (26 February) US healthy-eating franchise Tropical Smoothie Cafe unveiled its own line of vegetable smoothies with a fruity twist.

I sense a trend.

Savse told me that the fruit sweetens the more bitter vegetable edge and swears that most people who buy its broccoli smoothie can't taste the broccoli. The company is marketing it at parents looking to smuggle veggies into their children's diets, but it's also supposedly a hit with athletes looking for some tasty nutrition.

So, will others dare follow the smoothie lead? Campbells already has its on-trade V8 line while, in China, convenience stores carry a good selection of locally-made, and heavily-sweetened, fruit-and-vegetable RTD juices. As obesity issues increasingly influence consumer choice, how long will it be before we see more broccoli and berry fusions?