Italy, France and Germany are the countries where the Fruitylife “Fruit and Vegetables, healthy and safe” project, co-financed by the European Union and the Italian Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policy, and coordinated by Alimos-Alimenta la Salute, has been running with the goal of promoting the use of fruit and vegetables by raising awareness of cultivation methods and control systems used to guarantee maximum quality from the farm to the table.
In France, FranceAgrimer figures show that apples are the most popular type of fruit (both fresh and processed), followed by pears and oranges. For vegetables, tomatoes were the most popular. In Germany, apples remained a firm favourite. The most popular vegetables in Germany (according to data from the Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food) were tomatoes including both fresh and processed types.
In France, the data published by Ctifl in July 2013, with reference to 2012 (using data from Agence Bio and Kantar Worldpanel) showed an increase of 6% in the value of spending on organic fruit and vegetables and 5% in the quantity sold. The organic products which recorded the best performances were carrots, tomatoes, courgettes, apples and kiwis. According to Organic Monitor (2011 figures), German consumers spent as much as 6.6 billion euros on organic food products, and 27% of this turnover was from fruit and vegetables.
