Scientists from Ghent and Murcia have evaluated the suitability of existing data on the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables for two European countries: Belgium and Spain, which represent northern and southern Europe and have very different food consumption cultures.A consumer survey was organized in Spain and Belgium to obtain consumption data and to gain insight into consumer handling practices for fresh vegetables consumed raw or minimally processed (i.e., heads of leafy greens, bell peppers, tomatoes, fresh herbs, and precut and packed leafy greens) and fruits to be consumed without peeling (i.e., apples, grapes, strawberries, raspberries, other berries, fresh juices, and precut mixed fruit).
The questionnaire distributed consisted of three parts: 1) respondent information (sex, age, level of education, etc.); 2) consumption, including amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables consumed; 3) consumer behavior, including specific questions about handling fresh fruits and vegetables, this information can be used for microbiological and/or chemical food safety research. The survey was distributed online via Survey Monkey. The responses from only those consumers between 18 and 65 years of age were included in the data set.
After extensive cleanup of rough databases for missing and extreme values and age correction, information from 583 respondents from Spain and 1,605 respondents from Belgium was retained. Daily intake (grams per day) was calculated taking into account frequency and seasonality of consumption, and distributions were obtained that can be used in quantitative risk assessment for chemical hazards with chronic effects on human health. Data also were recalculated to obtain discrete distributions of consumption per portion and the corresponding frequency of consumption, which can be used in acute microbiological risk assessment or outbreak investigations.
The ranked median daily consumption of fruits and vegetables was similar in Spain and Belgium: apple > strawberry > grapes > strawberries and raspberries; and tomatoes > leafy greens > bell peppers > fresh herbs. However, vegetable consumption was higher (in terms of both portion and frequency of consumption) in Spain than in Belgium, whereas the opposite was found for fruit consumption.
Results for consumer handling practices revealed that Belgian consumers stored produce items for a shorter time between purchase and consumption but were more likely to store these items at room temperature. In Spain, all commodities were refrigerated and stored for longer periods. Refrigeration conditions were similar in both countries. Investigation of washing practices revealed that the majority of consumers washed head lettuce and many consumers rewashing already washed packaged leafy greens.
Scientists conclude that the commodities included in this study are currently under further investigation for microbiological and/or chemical exposure assessment, and the data obtained on consumption and consumer handling practices can be used for further research. This survey revealed differences between Belgium and Spain in consumption and consumer handling practices, which can have an impact on outcomes of future microbiological or chemical risk assessment studies.
The research was conducted within the framework of the Veg-i-Trade project, which is funded under the Seventh Framework Programme for Research of the European Commission.
Source: Jacxsens L., Castro Ibañez I., Gómez-López V.M., Araujo Fernandes J., Allende A., Uyttendaele M., Huybrechts I., "Belgian and Spanish Consumption Data and Consumer Handling Practices for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Useful for Further Microbiological and Chemical Exposure Assessment", 2015, Journal of Food Protection, Vol. 78 (4), Pages 784–795. doi:10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-14-376.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25836406
Contacts:
Liesbeth Jacxsens
Laboratory of Food Microbiology and Food Preservation, Department of Food Safety and Food Quality, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University
Coupure Links 653
B-9000 Ghent, Belgium
Ph.: 00 32 9 264 60 85
Fax: 00 32 9 225 55 10
Email: liesbeth.jacxsens@ugent.be