Prepared salad producers have hit back at the Daily Mail for peddling the “same old tired, inaccurate and incorrect information” about its products.
The national newspaper recently ran an investigation which revealed the “shocking” fact that some fruits and vegetables are stored for up to a year.
It claimed its findings into food storage shocked such “food experts” as Joanna Blythman, author of Shopped: The Shocking Power of British Supermarkets, and Vicki Hird, of Friends of the Earth, with Blythman branding the practice as “counterfeit freshness”.
Controlled atmosphere storage, SmartFresh technology, modified atmosphere packaging and chlorine washes for salads were all singled out for criticism by the Mail, with retailers being accused of putting profit before “the health of their customers”.
However, Sandy Sewell, commercial director with leading bagged salad brand Florette slammed the newspaper: “It’s the same old tired news. We’ve made responses to them on these issues before, but they don’t want to listen to the truth. We’ve put our side of the story forward, about how pre-packed salads are good for you, and just been told that doesn’t make a good story.”
He said Florette had conducted its own research, which showed the use of modified atmosphere packaging and chlorine washes does not reduce the nutrient content of the salads, contrary to the Daily Mail’s argument.
Sainsbury’s, also mentioned in the article, pointed out that apples have been stored ever since they were first commercially harvested. “Modern technology, such as SmartFresh, does not increase the age of the fruit, it improves the quality,” it said.
Despite the publicity however, Sewell, pictured, is confident the impact of the Mail article will be insignificant: “The general tenor of the press is that everything is bad for you. That message has lost its value in the eyes of the consumer.”
