Buy British - but not for sake of it

Without a doubt, there is a refreshing change sweeping through UK horticulture.

To my mind it can be described in a single word - confidence. But not the sort that demands UK products enjoy special privileges on grounds of origin when competing against often much maligned imported counterparts.

Representatives at both a political and commercial level are no longer as quick to criticise the position from abroad, but rather take a sensible, positive attitude when it comes to discussing quality, marketing, or even, to be topical, the effects of the weather.

I was fortunate enough only this week to experience first hand two examples of what is being achieved.

The first occurred when the asparagus industry met in London to take stock of the past season. According to those in the know, this season gave rise to some creditable ongoing sales results in terms of both volumes and values, which continue to point towards it maintaining a strong national image and commensurate sales in the years ahead.

As UK asparagus production continues to expand, so far so good. But what I found most heartening at the presentation was that despite the evidence that our national crop hardly appears on the shopping lists of a large percentage of the population, this was seen as a potential advantage.

And if the numerous variety trials taking place prove successful there is even the opportunity of extending the season by another month.

Even further along the sales and marketing road this week, down in Kent at Fruit Focus, the soft fruit industry is similarly booming. But the terms of reference are significantly different. Strawberries and raspberries have been major industries for many years, and have enjoyed a strong presence on retail shelves, with increasingly healthy volume sales throughout the summer season.

The success of UK soft fruit can be traced through the development of vastly improved packaging, guaranteed net weights, a far longer season and, most recently, the introduction of many new and tastier international varieties, as the trade show exemplified.

If both sectors have most recently discovered the benefits of well-thought-out PR campaigns, these have been enhanced with the ability of the products to retain their place in a somewhat select sector - where British seasonality can still offer a considerable marketing advantage.

When all the promotional flummery is discarded, the fact is, they are simply delicious to eat. So, is it fair to say that all the public needs is a bit of prompting? That might have been the sole argument in the past, but today market success is not just about the indisputable intrinsic value of an item. Rather, it is also all about the back-up of quality control, seven-day-a-week distribution, and creating the confidence for the retail trade to keep stocking - and hopefully doing so at the right price.