Something interesting was brought to my attention this week by none other than television’s own celebrity chef Nick Nairn - not that us FPJ journos like to name drop or anything - in the course of an interview on p14.

While the middle classes are purportedly reawakening their tastebuds to the cornucopia of fresh produce now readily available to them - and it would be churlish not to acknowledge the key role retailers have played in this - are we in danger of widening the gap between those at the top and bottom ends of the market? Are those in lower income brackets becoming further divorced from access to a fresh, healthy diet?

A survey published this week suggests that only one in five Brits have ever tasted mango, and only 42 per cent have ever sampled blueberries, compared to 99 per cent of people who have tried an apple. The report may well give an accurate picture, but why is it so? If price alone is putting consumers off more niche lines, there is not much to be done - we can hardly expect any further squeeze on grower margins.

But there are almost certainly other factors, more to do with mindset, stipulating why some consumers buy lots of fruit and veg - tropical or otherwise - and why some do not. While price is undoubtedly a relevant factor for many, it is up to figureheads like Nairn to show consumers across the board why picking up a piece of fruit, rather than a bag of crisps, is money well spent.

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