European Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association Freshfel Europe has announced that it is to launch several initiatives over the coming months that it said would highlight the value of fresh produce, as well as the expertise of the industry behind fruit and vegetables.
The communication campaign will focus on the complexity behind the availability of fresh produce and the journey from field to fork, which the Association said is often overlooked by the public – and is in fact the basic guarantee for consumers that products on offer are of the highest quality and greatest diversity.
'It is important for the sector to increase its visibility, and communicate about industry skills and professionalism as well as about the wealth of assets and benefits that fresh fruit and vegetables provide to consumers,' said Ramon Rey, president of Freshfel Europe. 'While fruit and vegetables are at relatively low prices at consumer level, it is important to remind that behind the delivery in each shop across the EU there is a complex, well-organised and professional network of dedicated persons.'
The European fruit and vegetable sector weighs in at more than 100m tonnes of produce per year, representing an important part of the European economy, and various segments play an essential role in the value chain, Freshfel noted.
While providing more factual information about the sector, the Freshfel campaign also aims at setting the record right about fresh produce and its perception by consumers, with several surveys indicating that fruit and vegetables are considered to be too expensive.
'This misperception needs to be clarified and one should demystify that fruit and vegetables are expensive,' Mr Rey argued. 'A simple comparison with other food categories will convince the most sceptical that such as assertion is incorrect.'
Freshfel explained that consumers should be better aware of the intrinsic values of fresh produce and its variety of tastes and textures – advantages that it can be difficult to get across to shoppers. Even when these benefits are communicated, they are not always recognised as being valuable commercially.
'It is important that an organisation as Freshfel raises the profile of the sector and of its produce to policymakers, the market and consumers,' said Luc Clerx, chairman of Freshfel's promotion, communication and image committee. 'The market is underestimating the value of fresh produce, a product which has many attributes and that should be better rewarded by consumers. Freshfel is therefore considering several actions to move ahead and change the collective unconsciousness.'
With consumption of fresh produce 'stagnating at best' below World Health Organisation recommendations in many member states, according to Freshfel, consistent actions, mostly in public-private partnership, need to be taken.
'In 2011, this is to be highly ranked in Freshfel's priorities and the communication campaign should contribute to this effort,' Mr Rey added.
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