Freshful Europe drafted a letter and lashed out at the EU Commission this week, saying its proposal to gut the policy budget for agricultural promotions was short-sighted.
Not only would the EU Commission plan trim the current outlay of funding by one half – a staggering €281.7 million – but it also would eliminate budgets for mutli-programmes.
Freshfel said the move would dramatically harm fresh produce competitiveness, roll back environmental targets and hamper marketing efforts.
“While the EU decreases its promotion budget, global competitors such as the USA continue to invest millions to promote American food and farm exports,” Philippe Binard, General Delegate of Freshfel Europe stated. “This underscores the urgent need to keep a strong EU promotion policy to maintain our competitive edge globally.”
One of the biggest impacts of those cuts naturally would be programmed and promotions aimed at healthier eating. According to Freshfel data, the average person in the EU is consuming about 340g of fresh fruits and vegetables daily, far below the minimum benchmark of 400g set by the World Health Organization. The Nordic Council, in fact, says that number should be double that figure, which would then also lessen environmental impacts.
Freshfel expressed concern about the potential for multi-programme projects to disappear. There has been a more than 50% increase in applications in 2024 to help solve food crises.
“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,” Binard said.
Freshfel called out the Commission for “demonstrating a lack of consistency, coherence, and ambition to accompany the Green Deal strategy towards a plant diet.” It asked the Commission to reconsider the plan.
“This approach by the Commission ignores the indirect long-term huge financial burden on the healthcare systems due to unhealthy diets,” Binard said. “The World Economic Forum estimates that €2 is needed for each €1 spent on food to remedy the cost of an inappropriate diet. This budget redeployment is not only a very bad management choice in regard to the return on investment and efficiency of the promotion policy, but it will be financially very detrimental in the medium to long term for society.”
