Health, quality and respect for the environment play a fundamental role for consumers when buying fruit and vegetables.
The campaign under the slogan "Compete for a better life by eating at least 5 fruits and vegetables a day, Join the #LongLifeChallenge of Europe" aims to raise awareness of the importance of eating European fruit and vegetables daily, in the context of good eating practices.
The war in Ukraine and the impact on energy costs have left this year's shopping basket with record prices. In the last year, consumers have noticed a generalized rise in prices including fruit and vegetables that has been increasing, even reaching the highest in almost 30 years. In fact, in some cases, the price of food in the supermarket has reached five times the original price.
Despite this, it should be emphasized that both fruit and vegetables are highly valued by consumers because they are essential to cover their nutritional requirements, look after their bodies and maintain healthy lifestyles. The health and nutrition sectors recommend increasing the consumption of fruit and vegetables, as stated in the campaign "CuTE Healthy - Cultivating a Healthy Europe with Fruit and Vegetables from Europe”.
It is worth noting that variables such as health mean that consumers continue to choose fruit and vegetables when it comes to filling their shopping baskets. Thus, 31% of consumers are buying more fruit than before Covid and 29% are buying more vegetables, according to a study carried out by AECOC Shopperview after the pandemic among 1,004 fruit and vegetable consumers in Spain. And the fact is that taking care of the body through nutrition is becoming increasingly important nowadays.
Eating at least 5 portions a day
The EU co-funded promotional program "CuTE Healthy - Cultivating a Healthy Europe with Fruit and Vegetables from Europe" aims to raise consumer awareness of the importance of eating European fruit and vegetables every day, in a context of good food practices, and to generate a social and consumption movement of at least five portions a day. The World Health Organization warns that only 14.3% of European consumers eat five or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day and warns that low consumption of these foods increases the risk of disease.
One of the main characteristics of the fruits and vegetables of European origin that are part of the campaign is their freshness. Each of the types of fruits and vegetables has its own season, which will help to complete the #LongLifeChallenge throughout the year and make the most of these healthy foods:
- Orange (between October and May).
- Clementine (October through January).
- Tangerine (between October and April).
- Broccoli (all year round).
- Green asparagus (from February to June).
- Polish apple (available all year round).
- Blueberry (from July to September).
- French strawberry (from March to October).
In addition, the campaign aims to launch small tips to incorporate these foods into daily routines.
For more information:
FruitVegetablesEUROPE
https://eucofel.eu