Fruits in Spain

2020 IMPACT

Fruits stands resilient in the face of the COVID-19 health and economic crisis

Despite the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the stark consequences of the pandemic on Spain’s society and economy, fruits continued to perform according to review period trends in 2020. Fruits continued to see the effects of the growing presence of e-commerce in 2020, as e-commerce options emerged in the context of COVID-19.

COVID-19 drives shift to packaged fruits as consumers become more hygiene-conscious

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many consumers changed their purchasing habits in order to account for the threat of contamination. These changes included a shift from unpackaged fruits to packaged fruits, as consumers demanded greater hygienic and food security measures in 2020.

Organic fruits on the rise

The consumption of organic fruits has increased in recent years because of increased awareness about the side effects of some chemicals in the production process. Retailers have responded including more varieties on their shelves and producers have increased their production.

RECOVERY AND OPPORTUNITIES

E-commerce booms as consumers get used to online living during the pandemic

During the Spanish national lockdown, e-commerce sales in fruits expanded considerably. A number of food cooperatives in Spain, such as those represented by the Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias, have reported an increase of around 300% in e-commerce sales compared to pre-COVID-19 times.

Innovation to focus on sustainability as Spanish consumers go green

Sustainability and the development of more economically friendly growing, packaging and selling processes are expected to be at the centre of innovation and product development in fruits during the forecast period. Consumers are increasingly demanding more sustainable approaches to business and farming by producers in fruits, as more information about the environmental impact of the food industry is becoming available.