The volume of fruit consumed in Spain grows by 2.8% in the last 12 months

The volume of fruit consumed in our country has grown by 2.8% in the last 12 months, as it was announced during the 19th Congress of Fruits and Vegetables celebrated by the Spanish Association of Manufacturers and Distributors (AECOC). Another interesting piece of information on the occasion of this important meeting of the horticultural sector, which has gathered more than 500 managers, refers to the growth forecast, around 5%, which more than 55% of professionals in the sector augur to its companies in 2017.

The AECOC Fruit and Vegetable Congress, held in Valencia on 27th and 28th June, was inaugurated by the General Secretary of Agriculture and Food of MAPAMA, Carlos Cabanas, who stressed that Spanish horticultural exports in 2016 reached 13.6 billion euros and that the national horticultural sector represents 47% of the vegetal production.

The Secretary General stressed that AECOC shares with the Ministry an integral vision of the agro-food chain that is key to the competitive improvement of the sector and has recalled the efforts of the Ministry to integrate the chain into the first link. One goal, he added, would not be possible without the collaboration and support of industry and distribution.

Cabanas has announced that, so far this year, our country has already surpassed the level of exports in 2016, which places our country as the eighth exporter in the world of agri-food products

It is a sector with a future that, in its opinion, presents the following main challenges: atomization of production, competition from third markets, promotion of consumption, high water requirement, commitment to sustainability and fight against climate change.

Upward trend

In addition to the consumption of fruit in Spain, it has also registered an upward trend in the vegetable sector, whose consumption has grown by 0.6% in volume, according to data offered in the framework of this Congress by the Business Development manager of Nielsen, Ricardo Alcón.

In addition, fruit and vegetables also recorded a growth in value reaching 8.5% in the first case and 7.4% in the second

Among the fruits that register a more positive evolution is the melon, which grows 22% in volume; lemons, which make it 8.5%; cherries, with 8.6%; and watermelon, with another 8.6%, among other categories. In general, a third of the volume growth of fruits sold in the last twelve months belongs to dynamic and higher price categories.

As regards vegetables, the volume growth is mainly due to the good behavior of potatoes, which grow 11.7%; mushrooms, which make up 6.7%; tomatoes, with 4.1%; and carrots, at 3.7%, according to Nielsen.

In addition, 7.8% of the adult population in our country are vegans, vegetarians or flexitarians, according to the data provided by the CEO and founding partner of innovation consulting firm Lantern, Jaime Martín, a recognized expert in the area of innovation , Trends and new business models.

This segment of the population, known as veggie, resides mainly in cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants and indicates as main barriers to their consumption the high price of specialized products, the lack of a greater supply in supermarkets and the difficulty with which they are when it comes to eating out of the house to find hotels with an offer that meets their needs, among others.

Possibilities of selling fruits and vegetables online

The congress of AECOC has also served to address the potential of online sales of fruit and vegetables, which has had the participation of two speakers from Tudespensa.com: the company’s CEO, Alicia Ortega, and the Director of Purchasing and Pricing, Juan Carlos Chillarón. Both have explained “how to make life easier for people”, a promise that makes the benchmark in sales of fresh products online in the Spanish market. Its careful attention to the client and the search for an excellent service are the keys of its day to day.

Along the same lines, the CEO of the German online supermarket Food.de, Karsten Schaal, reveals how he has overcome the barriers of selling fruit and vegetables online in his country, a market dominated by discount. Among the challenges of online distribution of fresh, Schaal emphasizes that “every day we have to handle three temperature zones in a small car and we have to do it well 365 times” in his firm commitment to the online sale of quality fresh.

Food.de operates in the 32 major cities of Germany and is one of the leaders of ecommerce in the country

Lidl Spain’s RSC director, Michaela Reischl, used this forum to announce “Frutitour: Lidl’s commitment to fruit and vegetables”. Thus, one of the strategic axes of Lidl’s sustainability policy is based on the promotion of healthy food based on fresh products and proximity. In that line, the German distributor, which led growth rates in our country last year among supermarkets, wants to promote the consumption of fruit and vegetables in society.

Reischl explained in her speech that, thanks to the aggregate purchasing model, Lidl buys products from the Spanish agri-food sector and markets them in 30 different countries. In total, the German distribution company bought 1.4 million tonnes of fruit and vegetables in Spain last year, representing a growth of 16% over 2015.

According to MAPAMA data, Lidl buys 7% of the fruits and vegetables produced in our country

The AECOC congress has also had the participation of the director general of Teresa Carles Healthy Foods, Jordi Barri, who has dismantled topics such as “vegetarian restaurants are boring”, “healthy eating is restrictive, it is like dieting” or “vegetables And vegetables are never the protagonists of the main dishes, just mere accompaniments” . Teresa Carles Healthy Foods is today an expanding laboratory of ideas where research and development, training and outreach converge to lead, transform and grow the category of healthy eating. Among others, it has restoration points such as Teresa Carles Barcelona since 2011, and Flax & Kale and Teresa’s Juicery since 2014.

Gastrobotanica has also taken its place at this meeting point by the chef of El Invernadero, Rodrigo de la Calle, who explained how vegetables are used in their culinary recipes, stimulating and enhancing agricultural cultivation and the conservation of forgotten species .

The 19th AECOC Fruit and Vegetable Congress has received the global support of IFCO, the world’s leading provider of reusable packaging solutions for fresh produce.

Source: AECOC