One of the key aims of the Allfresh! Conference, at Sun City in South Africa last week, was to provide the production sector with an in-depth view of current influences on consumer choices.

Two UK-based speakers set the tone. Roger Jupe, of Richmond Towers in the UK, put it simply: “We are in the age of the media- influenced, convenience-driven fresh produce lover. The age of the ethical shopper is upon us.”

He said the increase in affluent consumers in the UK presents South African exporters with a golden targeting opportunity. He added that fierce competition for market space and media attention makes it imperative that the South African fresh produce industry recognises the vital need to invest in consumer advertising and/or PR in order to achieve and maintain media attention. “You need to make sure that the product you grow and market in the UK does not become a forgotten fruit or vegetable by ensuring it a share-of-voice in the media,” Jupe, pictured, said.

“The target group for fresh produce in the UK is media aware, intelligent and articulate and soaks up media ideas. The UK has the most consumer magazines per capita in the world and 85 per cent of people read a newspaper daily. South African Golden Delicious growers are following in the footsteps of the avocado growers in showing the way ahead by committing to consistent investment in consumer PR to secure a share of voice for their fruit,” he said of the two SA campaigns his agency heads up.

Steve Homer, corporate social responsibility manager of Flamingo International, said that retailers face pressure from the public; from campaigners of every flavour, as well as questions and requests from the media. “Look at the number of pages that corporate responsibility takes up in the annual reports of supermarkets and look how much closer to the front it has moved in the last three years,” he said, by way of illustration.

He explained that successful marketing of produce in this ethically aware market, requires creation and adoption of a code of good practice, awareness-building and the carrying out of social audits to prove that the code is in use. “Get bad press and consumers will leave your stuff on the shelves,” said Homer. “Make everyone feel good and they will be willing to pay a little more for your products.”

Topics