Fruit and Vegetable Week took place on 19-25 March this year, marking the start of the new All Day Long campaign coordinated by VLAM, the Flanders Agricultural Marketing Board.
The week was kicked off by former world athletics champion Kim Gevaert, who accompanied primary school children to the LAVA auctions for a cookery workshop and a fresh produce quiz.
Meanwhile, 10 retailers took part, featuring the All Day Long logo in their communications and drawing consumers to fruit and vegetable displays using various activities and promotions.
This year, All Day Long will feature sampling stands for seasonal Flandria vegetables in greengrocers' aisles. “It is a campaign to tempt consumers with easy, tasty recipes and surprising snacks using fruit and vegetables all day long,” said Sofie Lambrecht, VLAM's product manager for fruit and vegetables.
The campaign has been highly successful over the last five years. According to Lambrecht, vegetable consumption has risen by 56 per cent and fruit consumption by 21 per cent among the campaign's target audience.
It is this success that is behind the EU's decision to continue its support for the campaign for a further three years.
