CONSUMER DEMANDS

Consumers in Europe are becoming increasingly demanding with regard to the source and quality of the vegetables they buy, and this trend is likely to continue in future.

Demand for organic produce is expanding rapidly; food safety concerns, fear of genetically modified organisms, demand for convenience foods and ethical concerns about the way food is produced are also growing. There are additional opportunities for niche markets, for example in the tourist trade.

Smallholders can have a comparative advantage over commercial producers in all these respects, but only suppliers who develop a long term strategy for responding to market signals are likely to survive in a competitive world.