Fruit and vegetables: Fresh and healthy on European tables

This publication aims to give an overview of selected statistics and indicators linked to the fruit and vegetable chain in the EU. There are considerable differences in the amount of fresh fruit and vegetables available for human consumption in the Member States. The harvested production of the main types of fruit and vegetables in the EU-27 remained stable between 1996 and 2006. There was growth in the volume of fruit and vegetables imported from non-member countries, particularly for fruit and nuts (up 37.2 % between 2000 and 2007). Price levels of fresh fruit and vegetables in Member States were considerably different; in Bulgaria average prices were about half the average across the EU-27, while prices were about one third higher than the EU-27 average in Ireland. Between 1996 and 2006, consumer prices of fruit and vegetables rose most strongly (when compared with the change for all goods and services) in Hungary and Latvia, and declined (in relative terms) in Slovakia and Lithuania.