BORD BIA / 02
SEVEN A DAY FRESH PRODUCE PROMOTION Earlier this year the Department of Health launched a revised version of the food pyramid which indicated that everyone should be consuming up to seven portions of fruit and vegetables daily, not five portions as previously recommended. This development is not only very positive from the perspective of the health of the nation, but also presents a great opportunity for the horticulture industry to promote fruit and vegetables as an essential part of a healthy balanced diet at every meal. At Bloom 2017 Bord Bia undertook a major promotion of the new seven a day message through fresh produce crop displays linked to messaging around the nutritional value of various crops. In addition, a daily programme of talks and demonstrations provided hints and tips on how healthy fresh produce can be grown, prepared and cooked in simple and convenient ways. Well know TV dietician Aoife Hearne spoke about the nutritional content of fruit and vegetables and said that tasty and exciting meals do not need to be sacrificed to achieve a healthy and balanced diet. ✽
FRESH PRODUCE RETAIL MARKET The grocery market in Ireland put in a strong performance for the year ending period March 2017 when it reached a value of €10.26bn, representing a growth of 2.6% on the previous year. Volume purchased was also up 1.9%. The key contributing factor to this growth was an increase in the purchasing frequency to 270 store visits per annum. Similarly the fresh produce category performed well with its value increasing from €1.44bn to €1.5bn, an increase of 4% on the previous year though volume overall was back slightly. Fruit is the largest segment of this category making up 49% of the value, vegetables 38% and potatoes 13% of the value. The purchase frequency of fresh produce is 176 times per annum and fresh produce purchases now make up 15.7% of the value of all grocery purchases in store. For further information on the retail fresh produce market contact lorcan.bourke@bordbia.ie ✽
BLOOM 2017 Bloom took place over five days from 1 to 5 June in the Phoenix Park, Dublin. A record 120,000 visitors attended, an increase of 5,000 over 2016 which was the highest attendance until this year. Bloom provides a high profile promotional showcase for the horticulture industry. It encourages spending on local produce carrying the Bord Bia Quality Mark as well as promoting increased spending on gardening and professional gardening services. Visitor satisfaction measured at the show was 97%. It was estimated that over €8m was spent by visitors at the show. The floral and plant pavilion, show gardens and food village continued to be key attractions for visitors, many of whom had attended in previous years. You can read more about Bloom 2017 in this issue of Horticulture Connected. ✽
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HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticulture.ie / Summer 2017
