I’m sure everyone would agree that growing, storing, packing, distributing, marketing and particularly retailing fruit and vegetables has become more and more sophisticated.

Class I has remained the legal yardstick for quality, with Class II occasionally arriving on the shelf. Crops within the category of Class Extra remain few and far between.

Instead, a descriptive No Man’s Land has emerged where produce is described variously as the best that is available or enhanced by promises to the consumers of having been “specially selected” or “flavour enhanced”.

All well and good, although consumers returning from holiday in Mediterranean countries in particular still comment on the joys of touring bustling, noisy and colourful street markets. In many cases they seem convinced the same rules are ignored or do not apply.

This is probably one of the reasons why our own farmers’ markets are booming. If nothing else it underlines both the old adage that the public buy with their eyes and that they are becoming more interested in taste and texture.

Whatever the source and expectations, however, “fresh“ is the most powerful description that the industry has at its disposal. It is not surprising, therefore, that the processing industry has always sought to tap into this aspect, locking in nature’s benefits when describing its wares.

In one sense, I have always been surprised that no-one has come up with the concept of “fresher than fresh”.

After all, before sell-by dates are stamped on packaging, many crops are in reality weeks and even months old before they reach the consumer, thanks to excellent breeding and storage techniques.

While customers may be unknowing, it is commonplace for some apple, citrus and root crops to exist for a full year before harvesting starts anew.

While not in the same league, there is also a trend now appearing where longer shelf life for more sensitive crops is seen as a further benefit in the battle to win sales - coincidentally an aspect which was re-enforced only last month in FPJ’s own research into where the next level of opportunities lay.

The idea is not new, as gas flushing and breathable films have already pushed the calendar along. But just how all these developments will affect the public perception is harder to judge, in a world where most fruits and vegetables drawn from sources worldwide are already available 12 months of the year.

While the benefits from the retail side in particular may be a reduction in waste, and lower costs due to shrinking food miles and carbon footprints may be evident, hopefully it will not destroy such a valuable image.

David Shapley is a horticultural journalist and former editor of FPJ. To feature in this column email editorial@fpj.co.uk

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