The European Commission's plan to redirect funds allotted for the agricultural promotion policy could harm the competitiveness of EU fruit and vegetables and slow down the progress achieved in promoting their health and environmental benefits, according to Freshfel Europe.
Freshfel Europe, which represents the interests of the fresh fruit and vegetable sector in Europe, has submitted a letter in response to the EU Commission’s proposal to reduce the promotional budget over the next three years by €281.7 million.
The budgets for ‘multi programmes,’ which involve multiple Member States as well as the Commission’s promotion projects in third countries, have been scrapped entirely, only leaving in place the so-called 'simple programmes', the association noted.
'Strong EU Promotion Policy'
Philippe Binard, general delegate of Freshfel Europe stated, “While the EU decreases its promotion budget, global competitors such as the USA continue to invest millions to promote American food and farm exports.
“This underscores the urgent need to keep a strong EU promotion policy to maintain our competitive edge globally.”
The budget cut will also affect the EU’s efforts to inform consumers about health and environmental issues relating to food.
The latest estimation of daily fruit and vegetables consumption is 340 grams per person in the EU – well below the WHO minimum health recommendation of 400 grams.
Moreover, the Nordic Council has recommended a minimum daily consumption of 800g of fruit and vegetables: 400g for health benefits and an additional 400g to offset negative environmental impacts.
Therefore, the current 340-gram intake is insufficient to address pressing health and environmental challenges.
Fresh Produce
The role of fresh produce as 'essential' and 'public' goods needs to be properly voiced, making the EU’s promotion policy and its co-funding opportunities essential for communicating the health benefits and low environmental impact of fresh fruit and vegetables.
With these challenges in mind, Freshfel Europe expressed concerns about the disproportionate cut in the promotion policy budget, especially for multi programme projects.
The fresh produce sector has always shown a strong and growing interest in participating in multi-programme projects across all EU Member States, as demonstrated by the 52% increase in applications between 2023 and 2024, Freshfel added.
Philippe Binard added, “In a time of growing geopolitical instability, with economic uncertainty impacting consumers’ purchasing power and attitudes, and the need to promote the social and environmental benefits of fresh fruit and vegetables, it is crucial for the EU’s fresh produce sector to be well supported in a more cogent, cohesive, and coherent manner than has been proposed.”
