Reviving an appreciation of fruit and vegetables..., and more

Many consumers know about the healthy effects of fruit and vegetables, but they no longer have an emotional connection to fresh produce. These were the words of Dieter Krauß, President of the German fruit trade association at the FRUIT LOGISTICA 2013 opening press conference. He believes that this is due in large part to the retail industry, where fresh produce is advertised almost exclusively on the basis of price. In order to restore consumers' appetites for these healthy sources of vitamins, the fruit trade association has developed the qualification "Fruit and vegetable retail industry specialist". Salespeople with this training should not only invite customers to taste samples, but also provide expert advice on the taste and merits of certain varieties, on shelf life, and on different ways in which the product may be used. Together with the 5 a Day association, growers' organisations from Germany, Holland and Belgium have also launched the poster campaign "Freshness is Life" – advocating fun and a love of life instead of finger-wagging admonitions. "When kids start walking around carrying an apple instead of a water bottle and think it's cool, then when we'll know we're on the right track," Krauß says.Dr. Christian Göke: Industry becoming increasingly consolidatedAround 860 million tonnes of vegetables (2011: 850 million) and 730 million tonnes of fruit (2011: 725 million) were produced worldwide last year. Private households in Germany bought an average of 87.9 kg of fresh fruit and 70.3 kg of fresh vegetables, down 1% in both cases. By contrast, expenditure on fresh fruit was up by 3% and for fresh vegetables by a good 4%. These figures were quoted by Dr. Christian Göke, Messe Berlin's Chief Operating Officer, at the opening press conference of FRUIT LOGISTICA 2013. As the world's leading industry event, he said that this year's FRUIT LOGISTICA was once again more international than any other trade fair anywhere in the world. An increasing consolidation was apparent in production, services and trade, Göke said. In 1999, the combined market share of the eight largest retail companies in Germany amounted to 70%, whereas the four largest food retailers now control over 85%. He said that this caused considerable price wars, while the buying power of the food retail sector continued to increase vis-à-vis the producers in the supply markets. Globus in St. Wendel has the most popular fresh produce departmentsThe fresh produce departments of the Globus hypermarket in St. Wendel are the most popular anywhere in Germany. This is the result of a representative survey carried out by German market research institute GfK's consumer panel. The experts surveyed a total of 9,000 households regarding which (trade) organisation they believed had the freshest produce and the most attractive departments. Other evaluation parameters were cleanliness, clarity of layout, and the range of convenience items. Consumers were also asked to comment on service, advice and value for money with regard to the produce sold. Second place in the consumer survey went to the Edeka E-Center, followed by HIT, Kaufland and last year's winner, tegut. The winner receives the "Retail Award", which is awarded for the fourth time at this year's FRUIT LOGISTICA 2013 by Fruchthandel Magazine, Germany's leading magazine for the fresh produce trade.