EC Promotes Fruit, Vegetable Consumption Following E. Coli Outbreak
The European Commission (EC) has launched a promotional campaign “to
help address the difficulties faced by the fresh fruit and vegetables sector
following the E. coli crisis.” Consisting of an advertorial and an audiovisual
package for distribution in all European Union (EU) member states, the effort
is reportedly an attempt to “win back consumer trust.”
As part of the campaign, EC announced that emergency funding of €210
million has been targeted to aid EU fruit and vegetable producers. “In recent
weeks, the E. coli crisis forced farmers to dispose of perfectly safe vegetables
left to rot by concerned consumers,” noted the EC, adding that the “solution
can only come from consumers reintroducing fruits and vegetables into their
daily diet.”
Initially attributed to several sources from France and Germany, an E. coli
outbreak earlier this year reportedly killed 51 people. The outbreak’s source
was eventually traced to Egyptian fenugreek seeds and bean sprouts, which
have been temporarily banned for importation to the EU. Details of the ban
were covered in Issue 401 of this Update. See EC Press Releases, July 18 and 19,
2011.
