The Fresh Produce Consortium is warning consumers not to be “a seasonal Scrooge” this Christmas by limiting their diets only to British seasonal fresh produce.
The consortium concedes that there is understandable interest in eating in season, but advocates eating a broader range of produce.
“Mealtimes could be rather dreary and monotonous at this time of the year if we followed the rigid advice of ‘British and Seasonal’ only from green-do-gooders,” said a spokeswoman. “One promoter suggests that there are only nine UK vegetables and no fruit at all which are seasonally appropriate until the spring. Yet older generations will remember the delight of finding nestling in their Christmas sock an orange or tangerine, which are just as much our traditional festive fare as the Brussels sprout.”
The FPC is urging consumers not to feel guilty about enjoying fresh and seasonal produce available from around the world.
“Whilst FPC welcomes seasonal British fresh fruit and vegetables and wishes to see increased production of indigenous produce, the reality is that the UK would never want to, or be able to become totally self-sufficient, given the pressures on land availability and the vagaries of our climate,” said Nigel Jenney, ceo of the FPC. “Limiting food choices to the UK only would reduce the diverse range of produce available to consumers, particularly during certain growing seasons…Some food supplies may on occasion be more vulnerable to extreme weather conditions, such as we’ve experienced recently, and these seasonal Scrooges would deny us the option of alternative sources of supply elsewhere in Europe and worldwide.”
