The Brassica Growers’ Association (BGA) is calling for more industry support for its Love Your Greens Campaign as it plans for its second year.
As the campaign draws to the end of its first year, newly elected chairman of the PR Committee Geoffrey Philpott is making clear to members that for the campaign to continue, more contributions must be sought from growers and packers.
At the moment just 26 of the BGA’s 72 members contribute financially to the Love Your Greens campaign.
In the first six months of the campaign, produce marketing specialist Pam Lloyd PR has generated over £147,000 worth of coverage.
The campaign also has its own website and a portfolio of contemporary recipes using brassicas and stylish high-quality photography which has been widely used by the consumer media.
The past few years’ sales data has seen declining figures for brassicas and sales traditionally slow during the summer months, but in 2010 while the campaign has been live, sales increased with volumes up 0.8 per cent (Kantar Worldpanel 52w/e 5 September, 2010), compared to the previous year which showed a five per cent year-on-year decline in sales during the same period (52 w/e 6 September, 2009).
PR Committee chairman Geoffrey Philpott, a cauliflower grower from Kent who has been an active supporter of the campaign this year, said: “We have seen an improvement in cauliflower sales during 2010 and I have no doubt that the campaign has contributed to this. My concern is that the campaign is funded by only a small number of packers and growers and much more support is needed so that the campaign can continue and grow into 2011 and benefit more growers.”
BGA chairman Phillip Effingham said: “I believe that together we can effect real change in our industry, we can see the first signs of sales increases and consumer awareness already. But we need to pull together to finance a campaign that can bring real and lasting category growth in volume and value.”
During its first year the campaign focused on five crops - broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower and swede - and it is hoped to extend this into other crop areas once further funding is secured for 2011.
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