Fernando Burgaz catalogs fresh fruits and vegetables as an essential in the diet of the Spanish

The general director of the Food Industry, Fernando Burgaz, has participated in the conference “Fruits and vegetables: nutrition and health in the 21st century Spain”, where he pointed out that fresh fruits and vegetables are a fundamental product in the diet of Spanish households and in the composition of their shopping cart.

As detailed, during the last mobile year (closed to July 2017) the purchase of fresh fruits in the home reaches 4,294 million kilos, equivalent to 6,148 million euros in monetary terms, representing 14.8% of the total amount of food and beverages purchased for home consumption and 9.2% of the global budget dedicated to this item.

Likewise, Burgaz has indicated that since 2013 and up to the present, there have been reductions in permanent consumption. Specifically, in the last TAM (Total Mobile Year) of July 2017 the purchase volume of the category was reduced by 1.7% compared to the close of 2016.

In this context, Burgaz considers that there is growth potential for this sector, as society shows a growing concern for a healthy diet and a great interest in the consumption of innovative and quality products. In addition, there is an important margin of growth in the consumption of fruits and vegetables to follow the recommendations of the Mediterranean Diet.

Promotion of consumption

In view of this situation, the general director explained that the Ministry of Agriculture has developed an active strategy to promote the consumption of fruits and vegetables in the population. Thus, the official calendar of seasonal fruits has been updated, which has been disseminated through the Ministry’s social networks. An active campaign to promote fruits and vegetables covered by Differentiated Quality labels is also underway.

In other measures, Burgaz has also cited the Food Strategy of Spain, which seeks to support the promotion of our food in the domestic market and abroad, with special emphasis on those who make up the Mediterranean Diet, taking advantage of the relationship that exists between food and other sectors of economic activity, such as tourism, culture, gastronomy, sports, the environment and health.

In the same way, the general director has put in value the School program of consumption of fruit and vegetables, whose main objective is to promote its consumption in the child population and inculcate healthy eating habits among future consumers. This program allocated 12.9 million euros in the 2016/2017 academic year, reaching more than 1.5 million children in 5,600 schools.

In addition, during this year and throughout 2019, the campaign “Mediterraneamos” and “Cultura Mediterránea” is being developed. Burgaz has stressed that the fruit is at the base of the pyramid of the Mediterranean Diet, and that is why special attention is devoted to informing and promoting its consumption in the different actions.

Finally, Burgaz has emphasized the importance of reducing food waste, since fresh fruits are the most thrown away food in the home. For this, the Ministry develops the strategy “More food, less waste”, through different areas of work such as the generation of knowledge, training and awareness, the promotion of good practices and research and innovation, among others.

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