Freshfel Europe is keen to highlight the roles of the different actors in the fresh produce supply chain in order to help consumers understand the added value brought by the chain.
President Ramon Rey (pictured) said: 'As they are unprocessed, consumers consider fresh fruit and vegetables to be 'too expensive'.'
Rey believes there is an imminent need for the fresh produce sector to 'better communicate that the story is not so simple'.
The European fresh produce association, which has more than 200 members, estimates there are 550,000 employees in the chain, excluding producers, across the European Union's 27 member countries.
Luc Clerc, chairman of Freshfel's promotion, communication and image committee, commented: 'Simplified assumptions are misleading consumers as they fail to value accordingly the price of fresh fruit and vegetables.'
Clerc claimed the chain was 'already today as short as possible and as efficient as needed to take the full benefit of the high level of competence and know-how available across the chain to best serve consumers.'
