Belgium growers are now claiming to be offering high-quality, low-residue strawberries to the UK market thanks to UV-C technology.
Available to UK wholesalers through export companies such as Demargro, Vergro, Elite, Nicolaï fruit, as well as fruit and veg auction houses Hoohstraten, BelOrta and REO; the whole list of the exporters and their contact detail can be found though this link.
Read more: Data insight: Belgium fresh fruit and veg
The UV-C robots are being rolled out on a large scale across Belgium’s strawberry sector. These machines move autonomously through the greenhouses overnight, using ultraviolet light to neutralise fungi before they can spread.
“As of March 2026, 40% of the Belgian strawberry growers are already making use of this technology. This covers approximately half of the relevant tabletop strawberry cultivation area. The capacity has doubled from last year until now, so this is becoming a core part of our infrastructure,” explains Nele Van Avermaet from VLAM.
