Full marks to Waitrose for continuing its TV campaign, featuring new recruit Heston Blumenthal driving around South Africa, with a double message combining the culinary joys of lemons and explaining the benefits of its foundation in supporting producers.
When it was set up the foundation - now celebrating its fifth birthday - created a point of difference from Fairtrade, which at that time was gathering momentum.
What caught my eye this week were the number of shelf barkers continuing to explain its work. Among all the feel-good information over how the funds were being spent was the message to the consumer: “You won’t pay a penny extra for foundation produce. The money raised comes from Waitrose and our suppliers.” Just like with Fairtrade, it would be intriguing to know the percentages.
Much closer to home there seems to be a trend towards identifying our counties as prime areas of production rather than the rather nebulous approach by region.
Yorkshire, of course, would rightly be the first to claim that it has been streets ahead in defining the source of its forced rhubarb crop.
Now, Tesco is branding Kent Temptation tomatoes on-the-vine as a Select variety, grown in “perfect conditions” on Thanet Earth nurseries at £1.99 for five fruits. Sainsbury’s is on the same track with a Sussex plum tomato called Celine at £1.49/500g.
The Co-op, meanwhile, is using every opportunity to state its environmental credentials. Dutch Sunstream tomatoes at £1.40/225g are a case in point. These, alongside a wide range of products, all carry the message: “Conventionally grown - reducing, banning and controlling pesticide use.”
Descriptions, of course, are designed to add lustre and information and continue to appear thick and fast. Mangoes generally, with the exception of Indian Alphonso long heralded by the trade as the best, generally fall into this category.
Asda at least is describing its Ready to Eat Puerto Rican Keitt in a twin pack for £1.67 as “Smooth Flesh”. There is also plenty of choice with, unusually, Lidl selling fruit from Mali at 79p each.
And finally it seems that prepared salads have made the cross over to ready meals at Marks & Spencer. A 260g Asian Cook veg pack is now on the same shelf as ethnic food, though you still have to buy the prawns separately.
