AECOC Study Unveils Top Priorities For Spain’s Fruit And Vegetables Sector In 2026

The fruit and vegetables sector in Spain is optimistic about its performance in 2026, after a positive performance in 2025, according to AECOC, which represents manufacturers and distributors in the country.

More than three-quarters (78% ) of fruit and vegetable companies in Spain are confident about the market’s performance in the current year, while 9% expect a setback, data from AECOC‘s latest Fruit and Vegetable Sector Pulse report showed.

Data revealed that 91% of managers believe that their company will grow during the year.

Top Priorities

Participants in the study identified ensuring product availability, improving operational efficiency, and boosting consumption through marketing as their top priorities for the year.

The sector hopes to boost consumption and provide value to consumers by strengthening promotional activity.

It also expects progress in collaborative projects between manufacturers and distributors, with the aim of gaining efficiency, improving planning, and responding more quickly to market demands.

Sustainability will continue to gain importance in commercial decisions, consolidating itself as an increasingly relevant criterion, both in the design of the offer and in the relationship between the different players in the value chain.

The sector identified possible supply tensions arising from the shortage of raw materials as one of the main challenges for 2026.

The study noted that this reinforces the need for greater planning and coordination to ensure product availability at certain times of the year.

2025 Performance

In 2025, 97% of companies in the fruit and vegetables sector in Spain reported a year-on-year increase in turnover in value.

Up to 56% of companies achieved growth of more than 5%, AECOC noted.

In terms of volume, 84% of companies saw growth in sales, while 13% were stable and 3% reported declines.

Moreover, 58% of respondents said their end-of-the-year performance remained in line with expectations.

In terms of formats, packaged products saw the best performance in the fruit and vegetable sections, while loose products accounted for a substantial portion of sales.