November saw an Anglo-French trade day held in London, where visitors representing a wide range of French suppliers were given an insight into what they could expect from the UK market.
Despite a drive for increased local supply, it was clear that the UK’s desire for high quality foods with strong provenance brings many possibilities for French suppliers. According to Martin Levy, who runs Fresh Direct Gourmet, French growers’ reputation for producing some of the finest food there is gives them ample chance to succeed in the UK market.
“There has been a gastronomic revolution in the UK,” he said. “The opportunities are huge. What is important is that French growers take advantage of these opportunities and keep developing new products.”
However, Levy added the caveat that the French have been somewhat left behind in the new product development stakes, citing the microcress market as one where they were overtaken by their British cousins. “The French have started down the road of NPD but I still think the British are a bit ahead in this area,” he said. “The British are very open-minded in what they eat. That’s opened up lots of opportunities. French growers must keep it moving and develop more products.”
At the event, organised by Ubifrance, Levy outlined the advantages of working with a sizeable business such as Fresh Direct, which supplies a wide range of customers including pubs, restaurants and the armed forces. “We help growers to avoid waste by also supplying soups, sauces and chargrilled veg,” he said. “Supplying restaurants is an advantage, since chefs don’t mind if an asparagus spear is slightly bent or if a pepper is not perfectly symmetrical.”
And with eating out showing no signs of abating - there is set to be a large expansion of Mexican restaurants in the UK, for instance, according to Levy - the sector provides huge opportunities for growers.
He added that foodservice companies are looking for differentiation, but not gimmicks, with heritage varieties particularly in demand at present. Fresh Direct, for example, is offering four varieties of asparagus that are not available in supermarkets, while there are moves to bring a number of niche products more into the mainstream. “We are also trying to reintroduce old French varieties - people are looking for something a little bit different. We can’t invent new vegetables but we can look at what was grown in Victorian times, such as medlar.”
The French suppliers present at the event displayed a variety of items as they sought to attract the interest of UK importers. Concept Fruits showed off its chestnuts, Océane its lamb’s lettuce and tomatoes, Ariane its apples, Lunor its microwaveable vegetables and Les Belles Salades de Provence its various lettuces. Each stressed the current importance of diversifying its export markets during the continuing economic downturn, with the UK regarded as a key outlet. -
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