we live in an era when there is an almost insatiable demand for information, and perhaps no more so than when it comes to food - of which fruit and veg are an intrinsic part.

So far so good, but there is a very distinct line between what one can only call descriptive text, and messages which actually enhance the product or offer clarity. Sometimes there seems to be so much wordage I wonder if it really registers.

This week in the co-operative I came across an excellent pack of Piccolo cherry tomatoes on the vine for £1.89, complete with enticing artwork, a 5 A DAY logo, and instructions on storage. However, one of the most intriguing pieces of information, and a boost to all those growers who support assured produce schemes and the like, was buried in the small print. It read: “Conventionally grown - reducing, banning and controlling pesticide use.” Full marks for the support, but I wonder how many customers had glasses strong enough to read it.

This brings me nicely on to descriptions, where Marks & Spencer still seems to be setting the boundaries. With late English raspberries still coming forward in volume, Tulameen - priced at £1.99 for 170g - has now been identified as a variety on the pack in the sense that the name appears as a fully- integrated part of the label. Isabel and Dulcila have yet to be awarded the same status.

Further along the shelf there was every indication that, after a late start, the English plum season is in full swing. I refer, of course, to our major variety - Victoria - on offer at 600g for £1.99. The variety was strongly identified as British, to which I have no objection, but I nevertheless wonder if it is strictly necessary. More than 20 years ago the arrival of a similar plum sold under the same name from Spain threw the National Farmers’ Union into turmoil. It successfully defended the cause so that “Vics” were assured of henceforth forever being British.

Meanwhile, it is not often that a brand new presentation concept comes forward, which is why Tesco’s 40g triple pack of prepared Spring Leaf salad at £1.79, comprising lollo rosso, endive, mizuna, red chard and spinach, must be causing a stir in the industry. The fact that it is labelled: “1 for Now, 2 for Later and Three for Even Later”, and can be sheared off as required, indicates that there must have been some sort of breakthrough in shelf life. I have a feeling that it won’t be long until the concept is tried out elsewhere.

And finally, we should not forget the humble artichoke - the globe type, that is - which sadly seems to have made slow progress on the retail shelf. And this despite Prince de Bretagne giving them away free to travellers on its ferry service in the 1980s, when UK multiples discovered the north-western French region was a major vegetable exporter. M&S, again with the use of labels, is helping correct the situation by at least starting to define the taste, heralding them “distinctly nutty”. Sainsbury’s has gone the same way, describing baby aubergines as “smokey”, but what interested me more was the less-than-usual source - Ghana.

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