I wonder whether the point will come when shoppers are being given too much information to take in.

It may have reached this level already, as some unofficial personal research on my behalf reveals that many of my neighbours tend to only select visually and don’t remember the small print regarding source or variety, let alone the almost meaningless phrases on packaging when they make it home from the weekly shop.

In fact, descriptions on the shelf in many sectors are so numerous and varied between the multiples that customers can hardly be blamed for feeling confused.

This is not to condemn the many strands of PR information that are churned out in support, ranging from the odd titbit in the media to a fully illustrated feature. Both are valuable and even vital bonuses for an industry where seasonal reminders make good news, whether crops are earlier or later, and promise feast or famine.

I’m also prepared to agree that recipe leaflets - if they are easy to read and do not get lost in the shopping because they are inside prepacked produce - have a value, as perhaps do the smiling faces of growers that provide a sense of commitment and quality.

But beyond that, I have my doubts. An example is using the packaging as a vehicle to encourage the public to look up a website to learn more about how crops are grown. This idea is not new. A decade ago, I covered a EurepGAP conference where this novel practice was the brainchild of a leading Japanese retailer. Some years later, I reported on a similar project by a vegetable group that allowed customers to see the fields for themselves.

Now it seems this concept is germinating in the UK. Most recently, The Co-operative has announced it is launching quick response codes to this end, on its home-grown apples, pears, onions and potatoes. We live in a busy world, so ascertaining the value of such a well meaning additional benefit is hard to quantify, although again I concede there will always be a percentage of the population that will take the time and trouble.

However, as most fruit and vegetables are bought on impulse, logically the best source of information remains the store itself. Meeting this need is something that the US, in my experience, still excels in because helpful staff prowl the aisles and are proud of their produce knowledge. Only too pleased to advise the shopper on seasonality, source and special offers, they are prepared to suggest alternatives and additional produce to swell the shopping trolley and inspire shoppers.

Sadly, this is a role that the now depleted number of traditional greengrocers and fruiterers understood only too well because of the personal service they offered.

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