European Market – Fruit and Vegetables, Part Three2 min read

Welcome to the next installment of our multi-part article for the “Best Food Importers” site, the no 1 world directory of food importers and distributors from all over the world, article that is intended to be a well documented overview of the trends that govern the economical interactions of the European food market. Our previous installment dealt with the first of the social trends that manifests themselves as a market driving force in the countries of the European Union and Europe as a whole, namely the continued importance of the food safety considerations. Now we shall try to offer to our dear readers a general overview of another important social trend that must be taken into consideration during the course of any economical venture in this “fruit and vegetables” sub-sector of the food distribution market from the European region.
The issue of Corporate Social Responsibility, with its intrinsic and increasingly important focus on sustainability, has gained preeminence amongst the trends that manifest themselves in many economical sectors. As a whole, and whatever the particular product might be, the consumers are becoming more and more interested in the details of its provenience and way of manufacturing. Evidently, this interest also applies to the products retailed by the fruit and vegetables market sub-sector. Consequently, this led to an increase in demand for environmentally responsible food products, as well as for socially responsible ones. Therefore, the issue of Corporate Social Responsibility became a reality that manifested itself in the implementation of a plethora of ethical certification, many of which gained an increasingly important role when it comes to the customer’s choice of product. These certifications of ethical responsibility include, but are not limited to, topics such as Fair Trade and humane agricultural practices in relation the to working conditions and the environmentally friendly production methods. Complying with these certification can be difficult when they include local-to-local consumption, this particular aspect of the Corporate Social Responsibility trend being quite a threat to food exporters.
When it comes to the best food importers of Europe, the GLOBALG.A.P certification has become an unofficial minimum standard for the supermarket chains, especially in the north-western countries. Their potential suppliers are advise to invest in Corporate Social Responsibility, getting the possible certifications and a product QR-code. Giving customers a good insight on the social and ethical value of your product will prove to be good economic practice.
The next social trend we shall tackle on is the consumer’s concern for a healthy living, for pure and natural products. Stay tuned for the next installment of our multi-part article.