ne of the video presentations shown in this years' Freshfel/Europatat annual event, entitled 'The Future of the fresh produce and potato sector', underlined the importance of transparency throughout the sector when reaching out to consumers. The purpose of the video was to give an insiders view from people working within the sector about the evolution of the consumer and the implications this could have on those involved in it.
"As an industry, we have to speak with full transparency throughout the entire fruit and vegetable sector to communicate with the consumers in an open, transparent, objective way. This means that you have to tell them the entire story about all fruits and vegetables. When you only tell a story about one particular type, all of the different information runs the risk of contradicting each other and confusing the customer, causing distrust. Then you kill your own business." said Hein Deprez, from Univeg, in the opening statement.
Consumer lifestyles are changing and many expressed the need to invest accordingly. For example, the number of vegetarians and vegans are increasing, which is a great opportunity for the sector and something that should be taken advantage of.
Event moderator, Raquel Izquierdo de Santiago from Europatat.
Social media is becoming increasingly more important and a vital tool in reaching younger consumers. However, the industry needs to learn how to use this effectively and it was suggested that it is vital to make sure to have young people in charge of communication, who are better suited to connect to the younger generation and know which channels to approach. There are a lot of resources available, but it is the responsibility of the industry to translate business to business language into a language that young people, along with the rest of consumers, can understand.
Other speakers also voiced the importance of reaching the younger generations and informing them that fruit and veg is more than just a 'root in the ground.
New technologies are changing a lot. There is a huge range of new varieties available compared to 40 years ago and these new varieties have a lot to offer within all the different markets.
There is also a lot of concern about how food is produced. If it was produced in a environmentally friendly way, with or without chemicals. Consumers want to know more about what they are eating.
"Retailers in many parts of Europe are working hard to ensure that what you see on the outside of the packaging is also what you get on the inside. It is no longer a surprise whether or not a blueberry, for example, is sweet and juicy. Planning has improved and varietal decisions which were often made by the front end in the past, are now being made by the back end who are experimenting and making adjustments in the supply chain." concluded Stephan Weist from REWE.