I am waiting with baited breath to hear details of the trade’s response to the Fresh Produce Consortium’s initiative to breathe life into a new voluntary-funded campaign to boost consumption.

Since the FPC announced its strategy, under the slogan Eat in Colour, the official line is that the response has been very encouraging. Asking for a three-year commitment is a sensible approach. When I had the honour of being a director of the Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Information Bureau for over 20 years, it was a constant drive to keep the funds coming in. However, giving companies only 10 days to come up with the cash, was over optimistic.

It is good news, of course, that some have put their hands in their pockets, but it remains to be seen how fast the momentum will build. The days when supporters enthusiastically wrote a cheque because they believed generic promotion was a worthy cause are long past.

Smaller wholesalers for example must be better approached through their tenants’ associations, in the same way that the National Federation of Fruit & Potato Trades, then the FPC, recognised the financial strength of collecting block subscriptions.

A similar concept might also be the most appropriate when appealing to UK producers. The National Farmers’ Union has publicly given the initiative its blessing, but if past history is any judge, there will be little money coming out of Agriculture House. So the FPC must take its master plan to growers’ associations. Many of these are well organised and have promotional budgets of their own.

When it comes to larger companies, and within this category one must inevitably include the multiples, the route is certainly more tortuous. Supermarkets, already spending big sums on their own account on fruit and vegetable promotion, will want more details and inevitably pose the question “What’s in it for us?” Many will, I am sure, question the efficacy of yet another logo. But Asda’s commitment is a very good start.

Then there are the international promotional organisations which will have to get the blessing from Paris, Madrid, or Timbuktu should they support the ideal. In these cases budgets are formulated annually so even if the FPC hit gold here, the cash might not be forthcoming for another six months.

It all adds up to Nigel Jenney and his colleagues playing their hand of cards extremely carefully. Evidence of too much support in the early days could mean that interest from potential subscribers will wane as they will believe their contribution is unnecessary. It is a sad fact, that attached to the many voluntary campaigns that I have reported on over 45 years, there have always been far too many freeloaders.

Yet if the cash is not seen to be coming in, particularly in such a short time frame - which in reality extends to November - those giving their support could lose heart. At least the freshinfo poll last week showed the momentum is still there.