Teresa Robledo, Executive Director of the Spanish Agency for Consumer Affairs, Food Safety and Nutrition (AECOSAN), opened today a new edition of the ‘Seminar on quality and innovation in the juice and fruit nectar sector’, held in Madrid.

The conference was organised by the Spanish Association of Juice Manufacturers (ASOZUMOS) in collaboration with the Spanish Association for the Self-regulation of Juices and Fruit Nectars (AEAZN), whose president, Ricardo Moreno, was present at the opening ceremony.

The purpose of this conference is to address different areas affecting the sector, therefore a number of experts have been invited to explore the areas discussed in the programme and analyse the current situation. The annual seminar has become established as a meeting point for all the links of the production and marketing chain.

The strength of this sector is visible in its numbers. Last year more than 830 million litres of fruit juices and nectars were produced in Spain, a country considered as the primary producer of fruit and vegetables in Europe and which may therefore flaunt the quality of the products derived from this sector.

The Executive Director of AECOSAN highlighted the importance of creating healthy habits, encouraging the consumption of five portions of fruit and vegetables per day from infancy, as this is essential for preventing childhood obesity and the development of non-communicable diseases in the different stages of life.

According to data from the National Dietary Survey on the Child and Adolescent Population,, ENALIA of the AECOSAN, only 30 % of children aged between 6 months and 17 years eat fresh fruit or drink fresh fruit juices more than once a day, and only 3 % eat vegetables more than once a day.

The Deputy-director General for Food Safety Promotion, Victorio Teruel, was also representing AECOSAN.

Representatives from the autonomous communities, other administrations, the food industry, consumers and other experts attended the seminar.

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