Convenience has been a valuable weapon in the battle to encourage customers to buy. However, I sometimes wonder if the purchasers consider the cost against chopping up the whole product - sold loose of course, maybe with a knife.
Sainsbury’s has a new addition to its fresh-cut range: a 180g citrus fruit salad at £1.50. The mix in volume order comprises orange, mango, blueberries and pomegranate arils. I also came across an integrated strawberry and crème fraîche ensemble for £1. For the record, the fruit content is 67 per cent of a 125g pack.
One idea that makes sense has been the arrival of snack packs for children to take on picnics or put in their lunchboxes. Morrisons has gone one step further with a Fresh Fruit Selection under its Kids Smart label.
The brightly coloured outer bag, priced at £1.50 - a saving of 25 per cent - includes five 80g snacks; three of sliced apple and two apple and grape mixes.
Considering the price and actual value of such convenience, it is interesting to think of the price differential needed for organics.
At Tesco, organics are certainly getting cheaper judging by the message “Better than Half Price” dominating the 350g punnet of Spanish Fortune plums. The five fruits are ticketed at £1.25, a saving of £1.74.
Although English Discovery apples are well underway, New Zealand still has a presence. At Marks & Spencer, Tentation apples are being described as “super sweet” at £3.99 for four. Consumers may have got used to the name, but I find an enormous variation in colour, ranging from a blushed red to a deep yellow that would not be an out-of-place description of a Golden Delicious.
And closer to home, the vegetable sector is awash with English runner beans. The glut may have been made worse by so many following the grow-your-own trend. Asda has added Tanzania to its sourcing of trimmed fine beans at £1 for 200g.
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