As the spotlight turns once again on home-grown produce, it seems that the UK industry is seizing the moment to make the most of its seasonal offer and convey to consumers exactly what is meant by seasonality.
Since 12-month supply into the supermarkets became the norm, shoppers have been left confused as to what is meant by fresh produce in season, in terms of when new seasons start, when the offer is at its best and where food comes from.
But with increasing emphasis on the home-grown offer as consumers move to support the home economy and look for value for money, the issue of whether consumers really understand seasonality - with all the factors it embraces - or whether they need more guidance has come into question.
DEFRA defines seasonal food as “food that is outdoor grown or produced during the natural growing or production period for the country or region where it is produced”. Crucially, the government adds that “it need not necessarily be consumed locally to where it is grown” and that “this applies to seasonal food produced both in the UK and overseas”.
This definition is not new, but it is only this year that the trade has taken some clear steps to convey it to consumers and encourage them to eat fruit and vegetables when they are at their optimum.
The Eat Seasonably campaign was launched at Re:fresh in May to promote British fruit and vegetables at their seasonal best, as part of a not-for-profit project spearheaded by Dame Fiona Reynolds and B&Q chairman Ian Cheshire. The DEFRA-backed campaign is urging the trade to start promoting fruit and vegetables, in a bid to encourage the long-term sustainability of the sector.
But the initiative has had a mixed reaction from the sector, with some criticising the produce industry for its narrow-minded approach to consumption.
MasterChef presenter and celebrity greengrocer Gregg Wallace is backing the campaign. He said at Re:fresh: “This is something that I have been banging on about for a long, long time. I am not suggesting for one minute that we turn our backs on imported fruit and vegetables - I very much enjoy a slice of lemon in a G&T - but I want us to use the best we can in its season and then embrace British in our season. I know it is controversial and it is not the way we shop.
“I remember looking forward to the first strawberries and asparagus of the season - it was a treat, and I want people to have this again. I would just like to see us highlight the British seasonal calendar over the year and eat as much seasonal and local food as we can.”
But others at the event did not agree with these views, with one accusing Wallace of living in a “fantasy land”, while others stressed it was important not to “demonise” imported produce, which they insisted “is still in season in the country in which it is produced”.
A few days later, a freshinfo poll asked respondents whether they agreed with Wallace when he said that having strawberries available year round “dilutes the beauty and splendour” of English strawberries. The majority backed him up, with 66 per cent of the vote, while 34 per cent disagreed. However, the comments showed that the fresh produce industry recognises that it operates in a global market and that the emphasis should be on increasing consumption overall.
One pollster wrote: “I am all for local and in-season produce of course, but when it is not available it is an insult to say that growers who produce in other countries do not produce food that tastes as good or is somehow inferior. If I get my children to eat 5 A DAY by eating strawberries and berries out of season, then I will continue to buy them for them. Their health is more important than some nonsense about ‘beauty and splendour’…
“Most things are ‘in season’ somewhere and transport brings it here efficiently. As an industry, we are still struggling to get consumption of fruit and veg up, so commentators like this need to be more responsible with what they say.”
Nigel Jenney, chief executive of the Fresh Produce Consortium (FPC), has criticised the Eat Seasonably calendar for imposing “ridiculous restrictions on key indigenous staples of the UK diet”, which would “simply make production unviable from a growers’ perspective and undermine consumers’ interest in fresh produce, leading them towards greater consumption of highly processed food”.
He said at the time: “We welcome this campaign’s focus on eating more fresh fruit and vegetables, but we should not look to restrict consumers’ choice and deprive the nation of some of its favourite fruit and vegetables at certain times of the year by implying that produce grown indoors, imported or stored may not be as enjoyable or as responsible towards the environment.”
But it seems that one of the real difficulties in this issue is the definition of seasonality and how it is perceived by the consumer. A clearer understanding of what makes produce in season could help raise better awareness of the range of fruit and vegetables that come on steam throughout the year and, in turn, highlight the 5 A DAY target.
The New Economics Foundation has put together a paper, Is it possible to find a meaningful definition for the term ‘seasonal food’?, to explore the issue and help the trade get to the bottom of it, taking DEFRA’s definition as a starting point.
Researchers Jim Sumberg and Lindy Sharpe wrote: “The key elements here [in DEFRA’s definition] are that seasonal food is (a) “outdoor grown”, (b) during the natural growing or production period (c) in the place it is produced. Importantly, DEFRA appears to dismiss any link between the place of production and the place of consumption. In other words, if green beans are ‘outdoor grown’ during the ‘natural growing or production period’ in Kenya, and then shipped to and consumed in the UK, they should be considered as ‘seasonal’ produce.”
But the paper claims that DEFRA’s definition “leaves a lot to be desired”, with confusion over the definition of “outdoor grown”, given that much produce is grown in polytunnels, as well as the meaning of “the natural growing or production period”, as many new varieties have extended production periods significantly.
On top of this, the definition does not cover the storage of fresh produce, which can be kept in controlled atmosphere storage for months, or the timeline of consumption.
But there are some categories that are managing to send out clear messages about when the home-grown offer is in season and, with model examples such as British strawberries and asparagus holding their own and others such as UK peas and beans looking to replicate their success, it looks as though seasonality can still be harnessed as a great tool for the fresh produce industry.
SINGING FOR SEASONAL STRAWBERRIES
Laurence Olins, chairman of British Summer Fruits, has watched over the sector for some time. Here, he talks to FPJ about how the Seasonal Berries campaign, now in its second year, is helping to redefine the soft-fruit offer in the UK.
How do you define seasonality?
Seasonality is when a product is readily available, is likely to taste at its best and be priced to give the consumer value for money.
How do you highlight seasonality through your campaign, Seasonal Berries?
Consumers understand that soft fruit has distinct seasons, something that people aren’t as aware of when it comes to other fresh produce, which differentiates us and gives us a strong and unique selling point. We have always recognised the importance of communicating the seasonality of our fruit and for the past two seasons, have used seasonality as our core PR proposition. We communicate the start, height and extension of strawberry, raspberry, blueberry and blackberry seasons and promote the better taste and better value from eating berries in season. This applies to all berries, wherever in the world they are produced.
Why do you think consumers have lost touch with the seasons?
A lack of knowledge of how and where our food is grown, both in the UK and worldwide, has had an effect. As the population has gravitated to urban areas, it has meant that people are less in touch with where and when food is grown and that those based in the countryside have a better understanding of the seasons.
Do you think they are rediscovering UK seasons in particular, such as the start of the British berry season?
There is a whole generation learning and discovering which British berries are in season when. Retailers are assisting consumers by using better point of sale to communicate what is in season when. We have seen our customers increasing volumes of British berries, with most retailers looking for total British supply while the fruit is in season, which is good news for UK growers.
Whose responsibility is it to educate consumers about the seasons?
There is definitely a job to be done in schools and at home so that children have some knowledge of what is in season when. The retailers can also play a role in flagging up and promoting in-season produce, as most of us now shop in supermarkets. But essentially, it starts with the various crop associations to ensure they have a strong PR campaign to support their produce. This is not always the case.
How can growers, suppliers and retailers work together to push the seasonality message?
Seasonal Berries already works effectively with customers and suppliers to ensure that seasonality is promoted. Good availability and supply of fruit is important, as is ensuring excellent quality, which will deliver on taste so that consumers are immediately rewarded for buying in season with fantastic-tasting fruit. We work extremely closely with our customers well in advance of the start of a particular season and assess how weather or other outside events or trends might affect demand.
Do you think seasonality is a trend that will continue?
As we are in a recession, I’m sure that consumers will continue to look for better-value products that are versatile and taste good; therefore, in-season produce is likely to benefit. Berries are in a strong position to deliver excellent-tasting, good-value fruit when in season, which can only be good for the soft-fruit industry in general and growers in particular.
UK PEAS AND BEANS NEED INDUSTRY BACKING
Home-grown peas and beans make up one of the iconic British seasons, coming into their own in the summer months. The category may not have enjoyed the same high profile as the likes of UK-grown strawberries and asparagus, but it is still a firm favourite among British consumers and will remain a seasonal staple. Anna Sbuttoni visited Sandfields Farms to find out how these traditionally home-grown lines are being promoted at their seasonal best.
Sandfields Farms is owned by G’s Marketing and was formed to take on the former Bomfords local farming business and spring onion packing operation in August 2007, as well as secure business from both growers in the UK and overseas.
The Evesham-based firm grows in a radius of 25 miles, making the most of warm springs, relatively frost-free conditions and a range of soil types, as well as altitudes of up to 1,000ft.
Spring onions make up the core of the business and are marketed by G’s Marketing, but the firm grows a selection of traditional UK lines packed and marketed through Wealmoor, including peas on 200 hectares, asparagus on 200ha and runner beans on 75ha.
This typically British offer has come into its own in the last few weeks, with peas and runner beans taking pride of place in stores, following the end of the asparagus season.
Derek Wilkinson, managing director of Sandfields Farms, is clear on how he defines seasonality. “Seasonal produce is grown or produced within the natural time of production in the country in which it is produced,” he says. “I would not bring the word ‘local’ into it because not everywhere can have its own supply of, say, peas, beans or asparagus. But when the crop is in season, it is naturally at its best and tastes better.”
But the concept of seasonality is becoming increasingly blurred in the eyes of the consumer, he continues. It will take education and far-reaching awareness initiatives to improve consumer understanding and boost consumption of local produce.
“The average person does not understand when the UK seasons are because we are so used to having all kinds of fresh produce on the shelves year round,” Wilkinson explains. “Yet there are some lines, like asparagus, that buck this trend and that is because the Asparagus Growers’ Association has invested a lot in the last seven or eight years and the supply base has been willing to contribute.
“At the time, asparagus was perceived as a niche product and as being expensive, while consumers did not know what to do with it. There was an opportunity there, because there was no doubt about home-grown asparagus tasting better and as an industry, we have been successful in promoting the UK asparagus crop and meeting demand by extending the season by producing different varieties and polycovers.”
The asparagus campaign has become a model for home-grown lines and the pea and bean category is trying to replicate this with the Tastes of Summer campaign, also supported by key UK legume suppliers.
However, it will take time for the initiative, now in its third year and operating its own website -
www.tastesofsummer.co.uk - to gain the same momentum enjoyed by its asparagus-themed counterpart.
Danny Grover, senior national account manager at Wealmoor, insists that it is the collective responsibility of the industry to educate consumers about when produce is in season and where. He recognises that it is important for shoppers to recognise when produce is at its best, no matter where it is from - and that UK consumers support home-grown produce when it is in its prime. “As it is, peas and beans get a lot coverage at the start of the season aimed at the right consumers through the in-house magazines,” he says. The most important thing is to increase penetration and use at key times of year, making sure they are on promotion and visible at the front of the store, as well as getting growers named and shown on packs.
“TV chefs are improving the perception of seasonality by really getting behind it. At the same time, consumers need to be informed about how to prepare and cook peas and beans and be told that they are quick, easy and healthy, as well as in season.
“There is a lot that can be done to promote peas and beans, but the campaign is still at the beginning. And there is the challenge that in the summer months, there is so much pressure on space in store, which is an issue.
“Traditionally, peas and beans are seen as winter crops, but there is more we can make of their use in the summer, in salads for example. We work closely with the retailers and we put a lot of ideas forward, but it is up to them to show their support.”
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