UK new potatoes have hit the shelves in volume at last, after a late spring and heavy rain in May caused a slow start to the season. The cold weather this year has meant that the Cornwall and Pembrokeshire crops were 10 days late, and the East Anglia and Ayrshire potatoes were also behind schedule. More than 115mm of rain fell in Kent in May, and this postponed the start of crop lifting.
The Jersey season was also delayed, and this year the island will produce 30,000 tonnes, compared to last year’s 38,000t, which has put pressure on the June programmes from growers.
“There were sufficient imports around to cover the UK delay, but these have now been more-or-less used up,” says Paul Coleman, technical director at Greenvale.
But the major UK new potato suppliers have quickly recovered from the delays, and this has made for good sales.
“This season is completely different from last year’s, and it is much healthier for it,” says Richard Clark, commercial director at Branston. “There was a high volume of imports at this time 12 months ago, and the UK new potato season had started earlier, so this made for oversupply. The crop went into long-term storage and packing continued into July and August. The price of new potatoes fell, and you couldn’t give them away.
“A lot of UK importers in particular lost money last year because they bought at prices that allowed no margin when they sold on to retailers.”
But this year the UK has been on top all the way through the season, according to Clark. “The season has already finished in Europe so the UK is now wholly reliant on the British crop. This keeps the market strong, and it’s a classic supply and demand situation,” he says.
The lower potato yield this year has not damaged the season, according to Tim Ward, sales manager at Jersey Royal Potato Marketing Ltd. “The Jersey Royal yield is down 20 per cent this year, and demand outstripped supply over the peak sale weeks at the end of May,” he says.
“This has kept prices up, although the excellent quality of the crop this year, and the better weather over the sales period, has meant that we have had a very good season.”
A total of 1,000t of potatoes each day were exported from Jersey over the peak period.
British new potatoes are now largely grown on contract, as growers have been financially punished in the past few years by growing too much uncommitted material and not being able to sell it, according to Clark. But this means that specialist growers can invest a high level of commitment to their crop.
There has been an increasing emphasis on the availability of local produce in UK supermarkets over recent years, and the suppliers of UK new potatoes have supported this move.
The annual Local First for Fresh campaign, run by Greenvale and Sainsbury’s, is again in full swing. This follows the success of the 2005 campaign that delivered locally-grown new potatoes directly into Sainsbury’s stores, only hours after they had been harvested. The scheme allows producers to take their new potatoes directly to stores, and this keeps food miles to a minimum and offers the consumers fresh local produce.
There has been a very good response by Sainsbury’s customers to having local UK new potatoes on the shelves, according to Nick Reynolds, produce manager at Sainsbury’s Truro store. “Sainsbury’s has responded to the requests of our customers to have more locally grown produce, whilst at the same time guaranteeing the freshest potatoes and reducing the distance that the produce has travelled.”
Branston has also reduced the time from the harvest of the potato to its arrival on the supermarket shelf, says Clark. “Our potatoes make it from the farm, to the depot, to the store within two days,” he adds. “This means that we can offer Tesco customers new potatoes that are fresh from the fields.”
There has been an increasing awareness of the UK new potato season, according to Nick Tap, managing director of St Nicholas Court Farms. “Shoppers are waiting for British new potatoes to arrive on the shelves, and looking out for them at this time,” he says. “But some consumers need to be told when UK new potatoes are in season, and this is what we will continue to do.
“Kent is seen as the garden of England, and this connotation helps to sell our product in the area. The promotion of UK new potatoes is closely targeted in areas where there is genuine local produce, and we are working with Tesco to put our varieties on the shelves across Kent and south London, and use our geographical and regional advantage.”
Sales of UK new potatoes at Tesco have increased by eight per cent over the last four weeks, and are up five per cent on last year, according to Branston. There has been a move away from main crop new potatoes to salads and baby salads. “The consumption of fresh potatoes has levelled off,” says Coleman. “But new potatoes tick all the right boxes for the consumer and, as a result, sales have grown by 20 per cent each year.”
New potatoes are increasingly seen as a convenient and healthy food, according to Clark. “The pre-packed and ready-washed new potatoes are proving very popular with young consumers who want the health benefits, but don’t have a lot of time on their hands,” says Coleman. “There is a demand for convenience,” adds Tap. “But consumers are also looking for freshness, and there is nothing fresher than a British new potato in a UK store. That’s what the consumer wants, and that’s what they should buy.”
But sales are dependent on low prices, and like most products, new potatoes perform better when they are on promotion. “The reduced yield has changed the way that Jersey Royals have been sold this year,” says Ward. “The promotions normally start earlier and last longer than they have done this season. But demand has been very high this year, particularly after Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda advertised Jersey Royals on a national level.”
“It is easier to focus your efforts on marketing when you have a season that lasts only eight weeks,” says Clark. “Jersey new potatoes retail at high prices, starting at £1.99 a kg, and then falling to half price. They get away with it because no one else can grow Jersey potatoes.”
Jersey Royals have had an EU-Protected Designation of Origin since 1996, which prevents the variety being grown anywhere other than Jersey, and allows the brand to command a premium. “This gives them a bigger margin with which they can invest in marketing campaigns to promote their potatoes,” says Clark. “Other UK new potatoes retail at 59p a kg, so there is not a lot of margin to play with.”
“It’s just not possible to knock Jersey off the number one spot,” adds Coleman. “But getting the right positioning in-store and developing the right packaging will allow others to compete.”
New potatoes should be promoted as a summer health food, and this is particularly important with the rise of carbohydrate rivals such as rice and pasta, according to Ward.
Research by the British Potato Council (BPC) showed that 66 per cent of mothers think rice and pasta are healthier than potatoes, and that one in seven children think potatoes make you fat. But a high profile BPC campaign, along with a Help Me to Be Healthy roadshow, which will reach more than 2.5 million consumers, has been planned for this summer.
New potato suppliers are increasingly reaching out to the consumer to promote their product. Branston marked the start of the Cornish and Pembrokeshire potato seasons with a series of local in-store events. The promotional campaign also included appearances by celebrity chef Chris Tanner both in Tesco stores and in local schools.
“It has become clear from talking to consumers in Cornwall and Wales that local people want to buy local produce, and we want to encourage that kind of loyalty,” says Clark.
“Cornwall and Pembrokeshire new potatoes are local heroes and we are only too happy to pull out all the stops to ensure they get the recognition and sales they deserve,” adds Jo Parish, Branston’s Tesco account director.
Similar promotional events were held in East Anglia, where The Suffolk Gems Growers, a group of six Greenvale suppliers, formed to support the new-season Suffolk potatoes. The collective has appeared at Tesco stores in Martlesham, Bury St Edmunds and Peterborough stores to meet customers and provide cooked samples of the Vales Emerald potato, a cross between the Maris Pier and Charlotte varieties. “Pictures of The Suffolk Gems Growers will appear on packs of their new potatoes in the future, and this will allow the consumer to identify with the product,” says Coleman.
The sales of UK new potatoes have been boosted by supermarket promotions, but there is always pressure on producers to develop new and improved varieties, says Coleman. “Retailers are turning away from varieties, such as Rocket and Premier, as they don’t cook consistently well,” he says. “Many supermarkets are holding out for Maris Peer, as they are very popular with consumers.” But there are always improvements to be made, according to Tap. “Ideally, we would like to find a variety that has the earliness and resilience of Riviera, the taste and cooking quality of Maris Peer, while also being local to Kent,” he says. “We haven’t found it yet, but we won’t stop looking.”
No comments yet