In 2024, Belgian growers produced more than 700,000 tons of vegetables for the fresh market. Most of its production is in Flanders.
Tomatoes (283,587 tons) are the undisputed number one. Leeks, carrots, cabbages, bell peppers, cucumbers, lettuce and Belgian endive are the other strongholds of Belgian and, by extension, Flemish vegetable production.
The neighboring countries are by far the most important destinations for fresh vegetables: in terms of volume, the French market is our most important market and in 2024 accounted for an export share of 32%, followed by the Netherlands (26%) and Germany (17%).
Flandria at the top of the European vegetable brands
The main quality label for fresh fruit and vegetables in Belgium is Flandria. This label stands for top quality from family businesses. The Flandria label started with Belgian endive and tomatoes and nowadays covers more than 70 types of fruit and vegetables and is ever present in the fruit and veg departments in stores at home and abroad. Products with the Flandria label are grown by family businesses and have to meet the quality described in the Flandria specifications. In this way, only top-quality fruit and vegetables qualify for the label. There are requirements relating to the varieties used, external characteristics such as shape, sorting, ripeness, firmness and the absence of foreign substances. Even the cultivation itself of Flandria products is subjected to strict production conditions. For example, there are conditions relating to the choice of cultivation land, the plant matter used, fertilizer and irrigation. What is more, the grower gives precedence to biological protection methods over chemical crop protection agents.
