5 A DAY has become firmly established in the public’s mind, with the message appearing in various forms. However, for the first time - in my experience - it has been adopted by Marks & Spencer on a new pack that provides the whole 5 A DAY count in one purchase, integrated with fat content and calorie information. The purchaser also gets 500ml of water free.

For £3.75, the 430g pack consists of slices of apple, grapes and carrot and cucumber batons, each contributing 19 per cent to the total mix. There are also dried cranberries, and a berry compote of blackberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants and raspberries, flavoured with concentrated apple and lemon juice and cinnamon. The pack also contains raisins, pumpkin seeds and houmous.

The presentation is necessarily complex in order to keep the products apart, but M&S’s Granny Smith apple four-packs, sourced from France and priced at two for £3, are moving in the other direction. As part of the multiple’s

Plan A environmental initiative - subtitled Doing the Right Thing - the apple pack now carries the information that 80 per cent less packaging is being used.

And while on the subject of apples, while UK-grown Kanzi has met with success, I was intrigued to see the variety is now on sale in Asda, under its Extra Special label, priced at £1.97 for four fruits or two for £3. The difference is that they are now coming from the Netherlands.

There was a time, prior to the crop explosion in Spain, when the lemon trade was dominated by Italy, with Cyprus in support during the winter.

Tesco, however, has turned back the clock and is now featuring Sicilian fruit under its Nurture brand at £1.85 for four lemons. Rather than the smooth-skinned varieties usually seen on the shelves, these 68-73mm samples are distinctly rustic.

From time to time, I have commented on the somewhat confusing but widely used flash promotion that appears proclaiming “new season”. Morrisons, at least, has simplified the concept, leaving the customer in no doubt whatsoever. Under its Best label, Italian Baby Sanmarzano tomatoes, at £1.69 for 250g, are just called “seasonal”.

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