Apples from Europe Campaign and the Covid-19 Situation
According to the latest press release from the Association of Polish Distributors Fruit and Vegetables “Fruit Union”, the situation related to the Covid-19 pandemic caused a sharp increase in the consumption of pre-packaged fruit and vegetables and a general increase in the consumption of fruit and vegetables.
During the meeting of the group of experts on the market of fruit and vegetables at the European Commission, it was noticed that the tendency to build stocks and buy prepackaged food with longer expiry dates during the first phase of the “lockdown” had an impact on the increased interest in fruit and vegetables. The opposite trend has been observed over time – increasing the consumption of organic food and buying local and organic food. Both trends had a positive impact on the European fruit and vegetable industry.
Experts said that
“only in Germany, the turnover in the fresh food sector increased to EUR 6.8 million in March, an increase of 15% (10% is explained by higher volumes and 5% higher prices). There has also been an increase in the number of consumers purchasing local and organic products.”
There was an increase in retail sales by nearly 25%, but only partially compensated producers for the decline in sales in the HORECA channel, which was completely closed during the first months of the pandemic. At the same time, producers estimate that they incurred approximately EUR 1 billion in additional costs during the 2 months of the pandemic related to adapting production and logistics to Covid-19.
