Winter strawberries, the healthy trend that is changing the habits of European consumers

BOLOGNA, Italy, Jan. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Strawberry is increasingly present on the market in the winter months. From December until January and February, strawberry productions are available to European consumers in all their naturalness. They are among the fruits that in recent years have experienced the greatest innovations in terms of genetic and technological improvement. The winter productions are simply obtained from fresh rooted-topped plants planted at the end of the summer in the countries of southern Italy such as Sicily, Basilicata or Campania.

In Europe, about 1.2 million tons are consumed per year with a penetration index among European citizens of 93%. The European average per capita consumption is 1.6 KG, according to Freshfel calculations.

Strawberries are among the products in focus for the AOP Gruppo Vi.Va. Fruit & Veg Natural Health! project, funded by the European Union which involves Almaverde Bio, Apofruit, CodmaOp, Coop Sole La Mongolfiera, Ortoromi, PempaCorer, Solarelli, OP Terre di Bari to promote the consumption and benefits of a diet based on fruit and vegetables highlighting the nutritional and health characteristics of a basket of products rich in beneficial nutritional principles in Italy, Netherlands and Romania.

In the last year, the strawberry in Italy has experienced an important increase in terms of cultivated areas, thanks to the investments that have mainly involved Basilicata (+20%, source CSO Italy), in Campania (+6), and Sicily (+ 4%), all of southern Italy alone represents the cradle of the cultivation of strawberries with 66% of production.

Pietro Ciardiello, Director of Coop Sole, takes stock of strawberry production in the 2022 campaign: "We are about to reach full production," declares Pietro Ciardiello, "which is expected in February, slightly delayed compared to last year due to the unfavorable weather conditions that delayed the plants at the end of the summer.

"Coop Sole offers an excellent quality thanks to the careful selection of the varieties and our attention to cultivation techniques. We will have an increasing supply of organic strawberries, zero-residue strawberries and we are implementing, with excellent results, the pre-planting solarization technique which avoids the use of synthetic chemicals and increases the presence of organic matter in the soil. In 2022 we will have a growth of 6% in the area invested in strawberries and will predictably lead to an increase in sales volumes that are not yet quantifiable."

For further information: www.fruvenh.it.