Freshfel calls for “demystifying” misperceptions about price of fresh produce

At the Freshfel Europe Annual Event, Salvo Laudani, President of Freshfel Europe, called on the sector to join forces in reinforcing the role of the sector as essential and address the misperception on health, prices, and environmental and safety aspects around fresh produce. Fresh produce is one of the most affordable food categories, and its limited impact on inflation and the purchasing power of consumers is not often depicted by the media. Just a few years ago, during the pandemic, fresh fruits and vegetables were the heroes. Consumers knew that fresh produce is a sustainable food alternative with high health benefits and low environmental impacts. Now, fruits and vegetables are more and more often being portrayed negatively, with misleading and untrue information on water use, quality and safety and affordability being disseminated in communication outlets.

One of the most common current misconceptions is that fruits and vegetables have become unaffordable, with prices driven up by the high inflation rates of the last year. Estimations in Italy based on Istat data and Nielsen analysis show that in 2022, monthly household expenditure increased by €446, out of which grocery expenditure accounted for €35 with 10% being attributed to fruits and vegetables. That means that the inflation on fruits and vegetables only led to an increased cost of €3.50 more per month, or €0.1 cents per day, for Italian households.