European consumers trust fruit and vegetables and, in fact, more than half of the population consumes them on a daily basis, although there is still a widespread lack of knowledge about the production systems used. In fact, only 3 out of 10 people know whether the fruit and vegetables that reach their tables come from open-air farms or greenhouses.
This is according to the European survey on the attitudes of Europeans towards fruit and vegetables from Europe, carried out as part of the CuTE Programme - "Cultivating the Taste of Europe". The survey will be carried out annually by Adelante between 2019 and 2021 in 5 countries (France, Germany, Greece, Poland and Spain), with an annual sample of more than 5,000 individuals.
The Europeans questioned associate the consumption of European fruit and vegetables with support for the local economy and local producers (30%), with guarantees in terms of environmental sustainability (21%) and food safety (21%), with the quality of these fresh, tasty and nutritious products (14%) and with an affordable price (13%).
As regards the criteria for buying fruit and vegetables cited by Europeans (quality, freshness, colour and taste) stands out with 28% and price (cited by 20% of consumers), although the importance given to seasonal products (17%) and local, national or European origin (13%) also stands out in significant percentages. To a lesser extent, nutritional values (6 %), organic (5%), safe (5%), from open-air farms (3%) and sustainable (3 %).
When asked about the aspects that most concern them with regard to the production methods used, the fruit and vegetable sector is concerned about pre-established misconceptions, as many consumers falsely believe that greenhouse production modifies nutrients and flavour and even that it can have a negative environmental impact: "Hence the importance of our promotion and dissemination programmes with the aim of banishing hoaxes, fake news or false beliefs that are deeply rooted in the consumers' imagination," FruitVegetablesEUROPE points out.
54% of the population is confident that greenhouse products are safe, 51% that they are seasonal, 45% that they are affordable, 43% that they are as nutritious as outdoor systems and 40% that they are environmentally friendly.
CuTE, Cultivating the Taste of Europe, is implemented by an international consortium coordinated by the FruitVegetablesEUROPE association and also including APROA, AOPn Tomates et Concombres, AOPnFraise, ZGPOiW and INCOFRUIT. The programme is 80% funded by the EU and aims to take a giant step forward in Europeans' knowledge of fruit and vegetable production systems.
