The Vital Vegetables® story

Research into what would become Vital Vegetables® began more than a decade ago.

Identifying a consumer demand for more natural nutrition, Horticulture Australia in partnership with the Victorian and New Zealand governments set out to research a range of vegetables that were ‘vitalised' and contained higher levels of health-promoting antioxidants .

As the research process began, it became clear that certain varieties of vegetables contained more natural occurring antioxidants. By researching a huge number of varieties of vegetables Australian scientists selected and bred elite varieties that naturally produced higher levels of active antioxidants. The Vital Vegetables Marketing Partnership (VVMP) was formed to deliver Vital Vegetables® from farm to table. It is a co-operation formed by some of Australia's leading fresh produce growers, including: Fresh Select, CostaExchange, Perfection Fresh, Salad Fresh, Houston Farm and Simplot.

Booster BroccoliTM is the first of many Vital Vegetables® to be available in the fresh produce section of your local supermarket.

Booster BroccoliTM is from the Brassica family, a group of vegetables that include broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels sprouts.Booster BroccoliTM is packed with over 40 percent more active antioxidants than regular broccoli varieties. It has been scientifically proven to contain significantly higher levels of the power antioxidant, sulforaphane (often abbreviated to SF) than other regular varieties of broccoli.

Regular consumption of foods containing SF is known to have a significant preventative effect in heart disease and a range of cancers . The SF in Booster BroccoliTM works by triggering enzymes that help eliminate free radicals, or toxins, that may cause DNA damage that can in turn lead to cancer and other serious health problems .

In time, Vital Vegetables® will research and grow a whole range of nutrient rich vegetables including tomatoes, corn, capsicum, cauliflower and lettuce.