- Consumption of this cruciferous vegetable has multiplied in recent years, evolving from 200 grams per capita to 2 kilograms.
- This is one of the topics addressed this morning at the XIII Assembly of the +Broccoli Association, an entity that was established in 2010 with the aim of promoting the consumption of this cruciferous vegetable.
- Currently, the association is carrying out the national campaign ‘Soy Fan de Ti’ in various supermarkets in Spain, through various actions such as giveaways and recipe contests.
Consumption of broccoli has multiplied in recent years, evolving from 200 grams per capita to 2 kilograms. This is one of the data revealed this morning at the XIII Assembly of the +Broccoli Association, an entity established in 2010 with the aim of promoting the consumption of this cruciferous vegetable and disseminating its properties and benefits.
The Rincón Huertano restaurant in Murcia hosted this event, titled ‘Juntos somos más’ (Together we are more), where the roadmap that will guide the association’s steps in the next five years was discussed. “With the goal of reaching 5 kilograms per capita consumption,” said +Broccoli President Antonia María Piernas Millán.
It is worth noting that Spain has about 50,000 hectares of broccoli production, representing 600,000 tons of fresh produce—90% of which is exported to Europe. In this context, “Spain produces half of the broccoli that is exported and consumed in Europe, of which 80% is produced in the Region of Murcia,” pointed out the president of the association.
Participation in European programs
For the promotion of this vegetable, the association has participated in various European programs. On one hand, +Broccoli was part of the European program ‘Cute-4 You. Cultivating the taste of Europe for you’ last year, co-financed by the European Commission and promoted by a consortium led by FruitVegetablesEUROPE.
Thanking the work of the fruit and vegetable sector, essential for society during the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as encouraging the consumption of European products over imports from third countries, were the main objectives of this project.
“COVID has highlighted the importance of consuming fresh, natural, and healthy products, including broccoli, one of the vegetables with the most nutritional value. That is why now, more than ever, we must make known its benefits and properties, changing the consumer’s perception,” added the president of +Broccoli.
On the other hand, the association is currently participating in ‘Cute Healthy – Cultivating a Healthy Europe with Fruits and Vegetables from Europe,’ a three-year European promotion program—currently in its second year—that was created to generate a social movement in support of the European fruit and vegetable sector and to highlight the work and effort of European farmers, among other objectives.
‘Soy Fan de Ti’
Currently, the +Broccoli Association is carrying out the national campaign ‘Soy Fan de Ti’ in various supermarkets in Spain, with the aim of encouraging broccoli consumption through various actions, such as giveaways and recipe contests. All the information about this campaign, which will run until April 10, is available on the website https://soyfandeti.com/.
The efficient promotion of fruits and vegetables, a key theme of the Assembly
During the Assembly, which had journalist and comedian Manel Fuentes as the master of ceremonies, a roundtable discussion focused on the efficient promotion of fruits and vegetables was also held. Participants included the Director of Strategic Planning at Tactics Europe, Óscar Mozún; the General Director of Agrifood Communication and collaborator of Cajamar, Ricardo Migueláñez; the General Director of Sakata, Javier Bernabéu, and Micaela Carvajal, a member of the Department of Vegetable Nutrition CEBAS-CSIC and the scientific committee of +Broccoli.
It is worth noting that this morning the election of the Board of Directors of the Association and the president of +Broccoli also took place, in which Antonia María Piernas María Piernas Millán was re-elected.
The story of +Broccoli
A decade ago, a group of professionals in the sector saw the need to join forces and make this great vegetable known to society, becoming a reference in the dissemination of broccoli. The Association is made up of companies from the Region, as well as from the rest of Spain, representing farmers, marketers
, seed companies, auxiliary industry, scientific committee, nutritionists, and entities sympathetic to our cause.
Acknowledgments to our sponsors
+Broccoli thanks all sponsors and looks forward to their support at the next assembly: Tactics, Cajamar, Corteva, International Paper, Primafrío, Agrosana, Basf, Bayer, Dqagro, Grupo La Plana, HM Clause, Jungheinrich de España, Rijk Zwaan, Smurfit Kappa, and Tozer Seeds.