Bucharest, September 1, 2025: Carrefour Romania and NielsenIQ are launching the study “The Seasonal Taste Barometer”, a detailed overview of Romanians’ eating habits. The analysis highlights an increasing preference for local, fresh, and seasonal products: watermelon generates one-third of fruit sales, potatoes dominate the vegetable category, and pork, yogurts, and eggs remain at the top of protein sources.

The study is part of the “Fridge of Good Taste” initiative, integrated into the international Act for Food program, which supports Romanians in making healthier food choices, starting with seasonal, local, and minimally processed products. And to begin such a transition, the first step is to understand where we stand: what products are in Romanians’ refrigerators and what their consumption habits look like.

“Through this study, we want to show not only what Romanians put on the table in summer, but also how their eating habits evolve from year to year. We see a strong return to traditional tastes, but also an openness toward new varieties and healthier products. Our role is to support customers in these choices, offering them daily local, seasonal, and quality products through direct partnerships with Romanian producers,” said Narcis Horhoianu, Chief Marketing Officer & E-commerce and member of the Executive Committee of Carrefour Romania.

“According to NielsenIQ studies, 61% of Romanians state that they strive to choose products that contribute to their health, with fruits and vegetables being the most frequent choices in the shopping basket. While they are already present on 65% of shopping lists prepared at home, 19% of consumers say they purchased fruits and vegetables spontaneously, attracted by in-store offers. These data confirm Romanians’ growing interest in balanced nutrition and the essential role of modern retail in supporting this behavior,” added Iulia Pencea, Managing Director, NielsenIQ Romania.

A healthy body starts with healthy eating, and for many the challenge is to find a simple and practical way to achieve this every day. Within the Fridge of Good Taste initiative, Carrefour is partnering with Dr. Mihail Pautov, surgeon and health educator, who proposes the 5-4-3-2-1 method – a quick and easy-to-remember guide: 5 types of vegetables, 4 types of fruits, 3 sources of protein, 2 types of whole grains, and 1 type of healthy fat.

5 Vegetables Romanians Can’t Do Without in Summer

According to NielsenIQ data, during the summer season Romanians prefer fresh, local, and seasonal vegetables, with the top five being:

• potatoes, accounting for 13% of total vegetable sales volume during summer;
• onions;
• tomatoes, which also recorded the highest increase in sales volume compared to the rest of the year;
• peppers;
• mushrooms.

Within Carrefour’s portfolio, Romanians’ preference for local, fresh, and seasonal products is supported through the strategic Our Garden program. Launched to give consumers quick access to responsibly grown fruits and vegetables, the program will bring together 13 cooperatives and approximately 390 local producers from across the country by the end of the year. With daily deliveries to Carrefour stores nationwide, starting as soon as six hours after harvest, consumers gain access to fresh produce carefully cultivated by Romanian farmers.

From Carrefour’s range, red new potatoes—one of the most versatile vegetables in Romanians’ refrigerators and currently in peak season—registered a 70% increase in volume in summer 2024 compared to summer 2023. These are carefully cultivated by local producers from the Our Garden cooperative in Brezoaele. This growing consumer appetite for the variety is once again reflected in higher sales volumes this summer.

Red onions, supplied by the Our Garden cooperative in Însurăței, are also increasingly sought after, with sales up by 40% in summer 2024 compared to summer 2023. Traditional “roșii cu moț” tomatoes maintain their popularity, being an authentic and well-known variety introduced into the assortment to bring back the taste of homegrown gardens to Romanians’ tables. At the same time, pink and “oxheart” tomatoes, cultivated in the Our Garden cooperatives in Malu Spart, Fierbinți, Vărăști, and Zărand, recorded the highest growth in summer 2024 versus summer 2023. Kapia peppers, also sourced from these cooperatives, complete the vegetable top, with sales increasing by one-third.

4 Fruits That Define the Taste of Summer

Fruits are never missing from Romanians’ refrigerators, as they are essential for an optimal intake of vitamins, minerals, and fiber—crucial for maintaining health, supporting immunity, and providing daily energy. According to NielsenIQ data, the staple fruits in Romanians’ refrigerators during summer are:

-Watermelons, the symbol of summer, representing one-third of the total fruit sales volume in summer;

-Peaches;

-Nectarines;

-Apricots.

In Carrefour’s portfolio, seedless watermelons and Galia melons, locally grown through the Carrefour Quality Line and the Our Garden cooperative in Însurăței, doubled their sales in summer 2024 compared to summer 2023. Romanian peaches, flat nectarines, and Romanian apricots also found their place in Carrefour customers’ shopping baskets, with sales up by at least 50% versus summer 2023.

The strongest growth was recorded by red plums, which were purchased in greater quantities in 2024 compared to the previous summer. These fruits also come from local sources, such as the Our Garden cooperatives in Zărand, Huși, Ostrov, Voinești, and Vărăști. In summer 2025, demand for red plums continued to rise, once again proving consumers’ preference for fresh, high-quality products of local origin.

3 Protein Sources That Are Always Present in the Fridge

Proteins remain a constant choice in Romanians’ refrigerators, contributing to the nutritional balance essential for a healthy life. At market level, meat stays at the top of preferences, followed by yogurts and eggs.

When it comes to meat, the top spot is held by pork varieties – especially neck and breast cuts – which record higher sales in summer compared to the rest of the year, driven by the barbecue season. Within Carrefour’s portfolio, pork has been on a steadily upward trajectory in terms of volume, both in 2024 and this year.

Dairy consumption remains relatively stable in summer, but preferences shift toward yogurts, especially drinkable ones. Plain yogurts continue to hold the largest share of the category, while Greek yogurt is gaining more and more popularity, with a significant double-digit increase in summer 2024 compared to 2023. Drinkable yogurts such as kefir and sana stand out with a double-digit growth trend, confirming consumer appetite for healthy products. Buttermilk follows the same positive direction. In 2025, the same trend continues for yogurt.

Eggs complete the top protein sources, maintaining a high purchase frequency. In summer, consumers increasingly opt for eggs from alternative systems – free-range or organic – and smaller packaging, between 6 and 10 pieces. These trends are supported by the Carrefour Quality Line range, which guarantees the highest level of quality and local origin.

2 Types of Whole Grains for a Balanced Diet

Cereals are never missing from Romanians’ diets, being considered essential for balanced nutrition. The most popular are cereal mixes, followed by oat mixes, appreciated for their versatility and nutritional value. Carrefour’s portfolio includes a wide variety, ranging from simple oat flakes to muesli mixes with fruits and seeds, meeting the need for diversity and healthy eating.

Healthy Fats Preferred by Romanians

Consumption of nuts and seeds remains relatively constant throughout the year, with more visible growth in the seeds category. In Carrefour customers’ baskets, 2025 shows stable volumes compared to the previous year. Within the retailer’s portfolio, the most sought-after remain almonds and cashews, which recorded steady growth in summer 2024 compared to summer 2023, followed by pistachios. Among seeds, pumpkin seeds grew above the category average, confirming consumers’ interest in superfoods rich in fiber, protein, and omega-3, integrated both into quick snacks and in baking or healthy dessert recipes.

About Carrefour

Carrefour Romania offers its customers a universe of shopping possibilities. The only omnichannel retailer in Romania, Carrefour provides shopping experiences through its mobile app and Self Service checkouts in stores, via online shopping services with home delivery through BRINGO, Glovo, Wolt, and Bolt Food, or through orders placed on www.carrefour.ro.

Following the acquisition of Romania Hypermarche SA’s operations, Carrefour has expanded to over 450 stores in 113 cities across the country, ranking among the top three retail players in Romania, and being a certified Top Employer (2023, 2024, 2025) for approximately 17,000 employees.

The company supports the communities in which it operates through long-term national programs and initiatives with a positive impact on society: Deschidem Vinul Românesc (“We Open Romanian Wine”), Creștem România BIO (“We Grow Organic Romania”), Our Garden, and Poftim Brânză Românească (“Here’s Romanian Cheese”). The Act For Good platform transforms shopping into a personalized experience with social impact. Every shopping session can bring users loyalty points, which they can use both to do good deeds and to benefit from discounts and personalized offers.

As one of Romania’s largest employers, with a team of around 17,000 people, the companies belonging to the Carrefour Group in Romania are also significant contributors through taxes and duties paid to the state. In 2024, Carrefour paid nearly 1 billion lei in taxes and duties to the state budget across all its local entities (Carrefour Romania S.A., România Hypermarche S.A., Supeco Investment SRL, and Columbus Active SRL), representing an increase of over 20% compared to 2023.

Carrefour Romania operates locally through three main legal entities: Carrefour Romania S.A., Supeco Investment SRL, and, since November 2023, Romania Hypermarche S.A.