In the wake of last week’s Defra bombshell that fruit and veg consumption was falling, despite the 5 A DAY focus, fresh produce leaders are rallying in a bid to tackle the issue.
The Fresh Produce Consortium has announced plans to present a proposed strategy to the industry to boost consumption of fresh produce.
The FPC will present the concept to the industry in conjunction with BMA Communications, the PR company behind the successful Banana Group campaign, among others, on September 28 in London.
The campaign will complement the government’s health drive, but Nigel Jenney, chief executive of the FPC, hinted this week that it will focus on issues other than health.
“Without question, fresh produce - as part of a balanced diet - is good for you, but we have to accept that there are many people giving us health advice, and we need to find other incentives,” said Jenney.
“It will complement the health campaign, but will be using other messages. The Banana Group’s campaign was very successful and that focused on issues such as convenience and energy.”
He pointed to the fact that the FPC’s figures from the Re:fresh directory showed fresh produce had been broadly static in volume since 1989.
As a result, the industry needs to take the initiative and not just focus on sector-specific promotion, he said. “We’ve had successful individual campaigns, but they have not translated into overall market volume increases. Sales have been cannibalised from other products.”
If the market remains static, there will be further hardship further the line, he said. “With the ongoing deflationary pressure on the industry, it makes the overall viability of certain businesses even more difficult.”
The FPC retains great belief in the potential that exists for the industry, Jenney added: “If we’re able to hit the 5 A DAY target, market volume will rise by 20 per cent, which equates in value to around £1 billion,” he said.
While the latest FPC and Defra data shows a slight consumption drop, Jenney said that his statistics run up to 2003, which was when the government’s 5 A DAY campaign began, and Defra’s figures are from 2003-04, adding: “It is difficult to assess the impact of the campaign from those figures.”
Jenney will be calling for financial support from the whole industry. At the moment the cost has not been revealed, but he stressed the potential benefits of the campaign would far outweigh the cost of investment.
However, the question is whether the whole sector will back a generic campaign. Richard Hirst, chairman of the NFU’s horticulture board, said he would not back a campaign which promoted competing imported produce.
Jenney said: “From the UK packer and producer perspective, I would have some concern because the market is declining and that will, frankly, have an impact on them unless something is pro-actively done.
“There are opportunities to promote seasonally, but I see no necessity to preclude an overall message. If you develop the marketplace, there’s opportunity for all. We can provide the solution, but we will need the support of the entire industry.
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