Consumption of fruit and vegetables in the EU will remain stable or increase in the coming years

Consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables in the EU will remain stable or increase in the coming years, driven by greater consumer awareness of the benefits of diets rich in fruit and vegetables, as well as public promotion initiatives. This is revealed by the Report on the EU agricultural outlook for 2024-2035, published by the European Commission, which also states that fruit and vegetable production in the EU will face challenges related to extreme weather events, rising energy costs, limitations on the use of pesticides and pest outbreaks. Regarding fruit and vegetables, the report focuses on apples, tomatoes and peaches and nectarines, providing some information on oranges. Thus, it explains that a decline in fresh tomato and peach and nectarine production is expected, and stabilisation in the case of apples. The decline in tomatoes is due to the drop in winter production and a shift towards the cultivation of smaller, but higher-value varieties. For peaches and nectarines, ...