The Campaign
Imagine a world where every trip to the grocery store is an opportunity to invest in your health and wellbeing with a simple idea: the food we choose shapes our lives. In a bustling world where convenience often trumps health, the mission of “The Healthy Mix – Fruit and Veg from Europe” campaign, co-founded by the European Union, is to shift the spotlight back to natural and wholesome choices.
A call-to-action to encourage families to join this transformative journey, empowering themselves with knowledge, making conscious choices, and celebrating the genuine and fresh world of European taste.
Parents hold the key to next generations future, not only as caregivers but as role models to nurture lifelong healthy eating habits in their children, becoming the guardians of nutritious home food availability. But health is more than sustenance; it’s an adventure: top chefs will collaborate to reveal the hidden treasures within European fruits and vegetables, rich in vitamins and minerals, inviting everyone to explore flavors, colors and scents that make every meal an exciting journey of discovery.
It’s not just about eating; it’s about embracing a lifestyle that allows to live healthier and happier. The project is promoted by the Agrifood Partnership of Region of Western Greece (as the coordinator), Agricultural Cooperative of Asparagus Producers Nespar and the Interprofession Fruits et Légumes d’Alsace who invite you to immerse yourself into the hearth of European agricultural excellence.
Through the delicacy of Greek asparagus and strawberries, the juicy apples and plums and the tasty cabbages from France, produced by the mastery of European agriculturists, this campaign will broaden new culinary horizons and an unforgettable experience that celebrate the authenticity and the healthy mix of the European territories.
The sector covered by the project is fruit and vegetables. In particular, the campaign will promote the following products:
– ASPARAGUS Greek Asparagus (Nespar): Variety: White asparagus – main varieties Grolim and Herkolim. Seasonality: February to June Approximately 50% of the national asparagus production is concentrated in the Region of East Macedonia-Thrace and in particular Kavala, where AC NESPAR is based. AC NESPAR produces abouy 670.000kg of white asparagus with an average export value of €1million.
French Asparagus (IFLA): Variety: For white asparagus: Darlise, Cumulus, Vitalim, Darzilla and for green ones: Ginjlim, Vitalim, Bacchus. Although white asparagus accounts for 98% of the volume, green asparagus is becoming more popular. Alsatian asparagus is 100% natural. It grows without fertiliser, without treatment before harvesting. The harvest of the Alsatian asparagus traditionally begins around in April.
– SAUERKRAUT CABBAGE (IFLA): Sauerkraut Cabbage production covers more than 500 hectares in the south of Strasbourg. Harvesting takes place from the end of August to December, depending on the variety, with an average yield of 80 tonnes per hectare in normal times. Production is carried out by around 200 people. Sauerkraut is a type of white cabbage with a large, rounded, slightly flattened head. Varieties include for example: Almanac, Megaton, Novoton, Adelco, Typhoon.
– STRAWBERRIES (AgriFood Partnership): Strawberries have long been among the best known exported Greek fruits, with a seasonality between January and May. There are multiple varieties cultivated, such as Antillia, Splendor, Camarosa, Candonga, Sabrina, Fortuna, Ventana, Camaroso and Formosa. In the past few years, the most popular variety is Victory, which has overtaken 60% of the production. The region of Western Greece contains the biggest strawberry production in the country – with a total of 1.246,19 ha which corresponds to over 95% of the Greek production. Production comes from facilities fully certified by GlobalGAP Packing.
– APPLES (IFLA): The main varieties are: 20 % of the surface area: golden, 15 % of the surface area: Jonagold, 35 % of the surface area: gala, braeburn and fuji, 30% of the remaining area is divided between boskoop, pinova, reine des reinettes, rubinette, idared, elstar and jubilé. They are harvested from the end of August to the beginning of October depending on the variety.
– PLUMS – QUETSCHE VARIETY (IFLA): The harvest takes place between the 10th and 25th August. Thus, the sales represent approximately 35 % on the market of the fruit of mouth, and 65 % on the market of the industry. The quetsche is a variety of plum, “Dumas’ plum”, brought back from Syria in ancient times. The silico-clay soils of Alsace became its first land of adoption, followed by Lorraine and Champagne-Ardenne.
