Dr Harm Veling

Dr Harm Veling of Radbound University Nijmegen

Why do most consumers prefer to eat chocolate rather than vegetables? What goes on in the brain when making purchasing decisions? These are questions that every fresh produce marketing expert wants to know the answers to.

Innovative products have done much to stimulate growth in the food sector as a whole, but less so in the fresh produce category. Is an ever wider range of products what the consumer really wants? And how does the consumer decide what food he wants to buy and thus how he wants to plan his diet?

The subject will be considered by Dr Harm Veling of the Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands, along with a whole range of other expert speakers, at the upcoming European Vegetable Strategies (EVS) conference.

Following last year’s successful premiere, this year's event will be held on 6-7 May at the Hotel Le Plaza in Brussels. The organisers’ concept is to provide a tailor-made one-day congress for key decision makers in the European vegetable sector, with an optional programme of additional networking activities on the previous day. The conference offers a unique opportunity for vegetable specialists to work together with the rest of the international supply chain to develop new ideas and strategies for marketing fresh vegetables.

The informal get together on the Wednesday evening is a highlight, with VLAM, Flanders’ Agricultural Marketing Board, again sponsoring the event in the congress hotel.

European Vegetable Strategies is jointly organised by Europe’s leading trade publications, Eurofruit Magazine, Fruchthandel Magazine and the Fresh Produce Journal. For further details or to register, please click here.