Delhaize fresh produce

In Belgium, the effects of the economic downturn, which was responsible for a drop in the number of shop visits in 2009, noticeably lessened last year, according to statistics from GfK PanelServices Benelux.

Last year, the report stated, Belgians went back to shopping just as frequently and even increased their spending per visit, by 1.9 per cent in volume terms, in spite of a rise in prices.

The average Belgian reportedly bought 79kg of fresh fruit and 62kg of fresh vegetables, a rise of almost 2 per cent compared with 2009.

Consequently, spending on fruit and vegetables also rose in 2010, by 4 per cent and 10 per cent respectively.