Fresh Times – Edition 5, 2018
Freshfel Europe collects this information from different sources to the best of its knowledge. Freshfel Europe is in no way responsible for the content of the articles used. For any questions or further information, please contact Nicola Pisano or Nelli Hajdu at the Association’s Secretariat.
Editor’s Note: The arrival of autumn
Has summer and all its delicious fruits and vegetables really ended? We secretly hoped it never would. Nevertheless, the arrival of autumn not only brings cooler weather, but also all the seasonal fresh produce that brings a smile to our faces (and stomachs) on these chilly days. This autumn everyone is making sure that no matter where you are, you have access to healthy and nutritious fruit and vegetables. For school children this means receiving healthy meals at school and for adults being able to prepare healthy meals at home for all the family. However, we’re not only talking about eating 400g of fresh produce a day, we’re also talking about trying seasonal products that are at their best and learning how to incorporate them alongside your usual favourite fruit and vegetables. What can we say, it’s the modern way to eat fruit and vegetables as part of your lifestyle! Watch this space for more Fresh Times promotion inspiration in the next edition to be published in December 2018.
Poland: 5 portions of health at school
From August to October this year Polish schools can apply to the national programme ‘5 porcji zdrowia w szkole’ (5 portions of health at school). The new education programme is aimed at introducing primary school students to the concept of nutrition and proper dietary choice. The programme is aimed at primary school children in years two and three to teach them the importance of a balanced and healthy diet from a young age. As part of the programme teachers are provided with educational materials to conduct creative classes on proper nutrition. Specifically, students learn that a balanced diet should be based on vegetables and fruit, and what consists of a portion of these. The secondary objective of the programme is to hopefully boost consumption of fruit and vegetable among children. The programme is run by the Ministry of National Education in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development among a range of other national institutions.
Italy: ‘Amiamoci’ Zespri!
We love to snack on kiwifruit – do you? To kick of the school year Zespri launched a fun and energetic promotional campaign to inspire children to enjoy Zespri’s Green kiwifruit and Zespri’s SunGold kiwifruit and raise brand awareness. Central to the promotion campaign is ‘Amiamoci’ (let us love). This theme encourages children to take of themselves and others by eating healthy kiwifruit. As part of this theme, Zespri targeted mothers and children with their back to school Zespri Ti Premia ‘Amo la Scuola’ (I Love the School) online competition, which ran until the 14 October 2018. The prizes for the competition included 90 Zespri School Kits displaying the kiwi superheroes Green and SunGold. To complement the campaign, Zespri also ran point of sale promotional activities including tastings, promotion of the competition and distribution of promotional material. A professional network, Zespri Kiwi Club, is also available for Italian retailers to access exclusive activities, the latest news from the Zespri World, promotions, initiatives and tips.
The Netherlands: Healthy school canteens
During Dutch Agri Food Week in October students in schools in the Netherlands experienced a rainbow of colours in their school canteens to celebrate healthy eating. School canteen caterers who are signatories of the ‘Healthy Food in Schools’ agreement focused their food for students on a different colour every day of the week from 8-12 October. This initiative aimed to highlight to students the work school caterers do to ensure their students receive healthy and nutritious meals. The programme included green products on Monday, yellow products on Tuesday, red products on Wednesday, orange products on Thursday and rainbow products on Friday (representing leftovers). Healthy food provided during the week included lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, including colourful fruit skewers, water with fruit, snack vegetable cups and toppings for sandwiches. The initiative was in collaboration with Youth on Healthy Weight, the Nutrition Centre and the National Action Plan for Vegetables and Fruit, and all participating caterers are committed to the Ga Voor Kleur (Choose Colour) campaign.
Italy: Fruit & salad on the beach
This summer was a long one, continuing through August and into October, perfect for a long campaign on the beachfront! This year was the eighth edition of national campaign ‘Fruit and salad on the beach’. Organised by the producer organisations Alma Seges, Aoa, Assodaunia, Asso Fruit Italy, Agritalia, La Deliziosa and Terra Orti, the campaign ran for another very successful year. The aim of the longstanding campaign is to raise awareness of fruit and vegetable consumption, specifically in settings outside the home, such as at the beach! This year the campaign was run in 23 beach locations across Italy to disseminate the message of following a healthy lifestyle through fruit and vegetable consumption. The beach campaign activities included sports games involving fruit and vegetables for children as well as tastings and educational activities conducted by experts aimed at adults. In particular beach-goers were informed about useful tips on how to include fruit and vegetables in their diet to ensure a healthy lifestyle when complemented by physical activity.
Europe: Dr. Goodfood is here for you!
Are you eating a healthy and nutritious diet to ensure that you are in good health and tip top condition? Dr. Goodfood is here to help you! This October Eosta launched their new campaign ‘Dr. Goodfood – Eat well’ in Germany and across Europe to help people understand the important role of fresh fruit and vegetables in a healthy and balanced diet. The objective of the campaign is to aid consumers towards a healthier diet by eating more fruits and vegetables. In order to achieve this Eosta has featured Dr. ‘Goodfood’ Anna Kruyswijk in numerous videos to guide you through easy steps on how to turn fruits and vegetables into not only nutritious but also delicious meals. Each video demonstrates the ease at which you can turn fresh produce into healthy and tasty meals to enjoy. The idea behind the range of videos is to provide consumers with a clear link between health and nutrition, and especially the role of fruit and vegetables.
The Netherlands: Fruit & vegetables forever!
This October Cool Fresh tried to find the answer to fresh produce sector’s most difficult question – how to keep fresh fruit and vegetables relevant to new generations of consumers who have quickly changing consumption patterns in a modern lifestyle? On the 4-5 October Cool Fresh along with a number of partners hosted a two-day event with 200 of the most ambitious students in the Netherlands to try and answer this question. The students from different fields of studies from eight universities and colleges were challenged with the question ‘How can the fresh produce industry ensure that its beautiful products – fruit and vegetables – remain relevant in the food world in the coming 10 years?’. A tricky question indeed. The Cool Fresh team believed it was important to involve young people for much-needed fresh thinking and innovation on this difficult question as they are the consumers, entrepreneurs, employees and leaders of the future. The results of the event were presented at Fruit Attraction in Madrid.
Germany: Saying no to waste!
No-one likes to see fresh fruit and vegetables go to waste, and neither does Global Fruit Point. Global Fruit Point, based in Buxtehude near Hamburg, has regular samples of its fruit analysed by certified food laboratories to ensure the highest level of food safety. To avoid any possible contamination in the sampling process or on the way from the port to the laboratory, samples are always delivered in whole cartons, despite only a maximum of 2 kg of fruit needed to carry out the analysis. More than 1,500 sample cartons used per year for analysis total more than 15,000 kg of high quality fruits that are not used directly for analysis. To avoid any unnecessary waste, part of this volume is donated to the Berlin Food Bank, a non-profit organisation that provides food to persons in need and more than 300 social facilities. Global Fruit Point and participating food laboratories also supports local food bank organisations in the Hamburg region.
France: Diploma in fruit & vegetables
Would you like to be specially trained in fruits and vegetables? We sure would! This month the first apprentices from the CAP Primeur programme (National Education Diploma for the fruit and vegetable sector) in France were visited by representatives from the fruit and vegetable sector and the French National Education Department. The CAP programme trains young people on fruit and vegetables in all aspects of the supply chain. For example, included in the course are training sessions on recipes to know how to use the product, advise customers and for catering initiatives. The courses began in September 2018 and the first 50 students on the course have now graduated, and are destined to work across the fruit and vegetable supply chain. This year the course is offered in Amiens, Paris, Orleans, Montbeliard, Lyon, Grenoble, La Rochelle and Nice and applications are open until the end of the year. In autumn 2019 the course will also be offered in Rouen, Lille, Toulouse, Cahors and Reims.
The Netherlands: Apples & pears galore
Autumn is one of our favourite seasons because it’s the start of the fruit tree season. This change in season has inspired The Greenery to begin a new inspirational campaign called ‘Appels met Peren’ (Apples and Pears). This new campaign is part of The Greenery’s ‘Veerse Oogst’ fruit and vegetable platform inspiring Dutch consumers of all ages to eat more fruit and vegetables. The objective of the new campaign focused only on apples and pears is to highlight that apples and pears are just as good as all the ‘trendy’ fresh produce available (no finger pointing at blueberries, avocados and snack vegetables here). While apples and pears are some of the most popular fruits in the Netherlands, research shows that most Dutch only eat them as a snack. The Appels met Peren campaign endeavours to disprove this myth by providing a directory of apple and pear varieties and different recipes to match with instructional videos. What more inspiration could you need to eat them differently?
Poland: Season for fruits & vegetables
It’s the season for fruit and vegetables! But autumn isn’t the only season, fresh produce is fantastic all year round with seasonal products always available. It’s this concept which Poland’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is disseminating with it’s new campaign ‘Season for fruits and vegetables. Poland tastes good’. It’s true that while Poland is leading European producer of fruit and vegetables, consumption is still low across the country. To help stimulate the idea and increase the demand for seasonal fresh produce ten fruit and vegetable fairs are being organised in cities in Poland. During the fairs tastings and workshops will take place to teach people about seasonal fresh produce, including the health benefits of consuming fruit and vegetables. The ten fairs will be supported by educational and informational press, radio and television campaigns in order to reach audiences outside those able to attend the fairs. The campaign will also emphasize the quality and origin of Polish fruit and vegetables.
Italy: The sun is shining again
Despite the sudden turn in the weather to more autumnal temperatures, the sun is still shining thanks to Dole’s latest promotional campaign in Italy. The theme of the campaign ‘We have the sun inside’ showcases the eternal summer of their fresh pineapple products! As part of the campaign, advertising panels will be decorated on the entire tram networks of Bergamo, Genoa, Brescia, Miland and Rome, catching the eyes of those huddled up in the coats walking along streets, not yet used to the chilly air. This advertising will be accompanied by in-store promotions in the same areas, enticing those still wanting a dose of the summer sun. The campaign also involves the ‘Il Sole di Dole’ competition, a contest of 5 questions on the Dole banana or pineapple to win one week’s holiday for two people, which lasts until 28 October. The name of the contest is a call and tribute to the most important aspect of all Dole products, the Sun.