Consumers need to forgive

Consumers need to be educated to be more forgiving over fruit and vegetables, according to Australian growers.

An Australian farmer is urging fellow growers to do more to educate consumers about how seasonal conditions affect produce.

Peter Darley wants consumers to understand that droughts and storms means fruit such as cherries may not be as sweet and apples may have marks.

“Sometimes you cannot get your product up to specs for sweetness and quality or looks and I think as an industry we’ve got to get out to consumers to say we’re under a lot of difficulty getting a top grade product to you this year because of the elements.”