Laurence Olins, managing director of Poupart, believes that constant pressure on growers and supermarket suppliers to drop prices for their major customers can only lead to a deterioration in the quality of fruit on the supermarket shelves.
However he pointed to the government’s support of the 5 A DAY ideal, the Schools Fruit and Vegetable Scheme and the high impact promotional work carried out by category-specific bodies such as British Summer Fruits, as reasons to be optimistic that the consumption of fresh produce in the UK will only increase in years to come.
“This should be our moment in time,” he told the Journal. “But I think it is a really great shame that when this industry can realistically believe it has a very bright future, its major customers are making such needless short-term demands on price.
“I strongly believe that we are in danger of killing our golden goose by bringing price-points down to such a level that we will eventually only be able to offer the consumer sub-standard products.
“And that would drive away the demand that we are working so hard to encourage,” he added.
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