Freshfel Europe has expressed its disappointment at the limited number of fresh fruit and veg consumption campaigns approved by the EU Commission under its promotional budget.

On July 23, the commission approved programmes for the promotion of agricultural products, representing a total of €77.7 million (£52.5m) (50 per cent EU contribution covering €38.9m) in 11 member states - Germany, France, the Czech Republic, Greece, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Hungary, Austria, Poland and Portugal.

But of the schemes approved, only two are exclusively aimed at fresh fruit and vegetables. “The importance of stimulating fresh fruit and veg consumption is not reflected in the latest commission decision,” said Freshfel in a statement. “The reduced number of fruit and vegetable programmes is an indication that the EU framework might need to be re-evaluated and adjusted to address fruit and vegetables specifically.”

The two co-financed programmes include a generic promotion programme in France, presented by Interfel, and a programme submitted by three organisations in France, Italy and the Netherlands for an apple campaign.

The total budget for the two programmes stands at €17.5m, of which the EU will contribute more than €8.7m.