Just published – the European market for fruit and vegetables from ACP countries

The latest market study from COLEACP’s Market Intelligence service is “State of play and opportunities of the European market for fruit and vegetables from ACP countries”.

Four years on from our original 2017 report, this new publication provides an update on the evolution of the European market, and development opportunities on this market for fruit and vegetables of ACP origin.

You can access the European market study here (in French) and here (in English).

If you are a COLEACP member or project partner and do not have access, please contact us at market.intelligence@coleacp.org.

The report highlights that in the future it will be important to promote the contribution of imported produce to the sustainable development of agriculture in developing countries, particularly in the ACP regions.

• There is reason to be optimistic: the trend towards increasing fruit and vegetable consumption, which was apparent in 2017, is confirmed. Consumers are looking for fresh, healthy, easy-to-eat and environmentally friendly products. This trend is reflected in the boom in organic products, which is catalysing the growth of the entire sector.
• Sustainability and transparency are central for brands, as consumers want environmentally friendly products, including their packaging. They expect transparent information on the composition of products, their origin and their traceability along the supply chain, as well as on the economic, environmental and societal sustainability of production. A future marketing challenge will be to inform consumers about the environmental impact of products.
• Tropical and exotic fruits are increasingly popular. Discovering new flavours while remaining healthy is a growing trend in Europe, especially among younger generations.
• But this desire for exotic foods is often in tension with “locavorism”, with the “local” origin of products becoming an increasingly important consumption criterion.
• ACP exporters will need to adapt to the evolution of EU regulations (e.g. the new organic regulation), as well as the changing expectations of buyers and consumers. ACP companies that are able to transform these challenges into opportunities to develop and modernise their business in a sustainable manner will have a future in the EU and UK markets.
• Exports of ACP-processed fruit and vegetables to the EU are likely to become more important. The reasons include a rise in demand for healthy and wholesome snacks. Processing is a way of creating local added value on products leading to sorting waste, and the marketing challenges are less complex than for fresh perishable products. This is why COLEACP has launched a market study specifically for processed fruit and vegetables, which will be available by the end of 2021.

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This activity is supported by the Fit For Market programme, implemented by COLEACP within the Framework of Development Cooperation between the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and the European Union, and co-funded by the French Development Agency (AFD).