A Dutch salad product has won Fruit Logistica’s Innovation of the Year award every year since its inception three years ago. Dutch breeder Rijk Zwaan’s Salanova was the recipient of the first award in 2006. The Salanova brand - a range of easy-to-prepare lettuce - is now available in Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s in the UK and is a product that some believe fundamentally changed the lettuce category forever.
The following year, the Rainbow Growers Group - a growers’ association of 20 members, who produce peppers, aubergines, cocktail cucumbers and tomatoes - won the award for its Vitaminis packs of mini peppers, cucumbers and cherry tomatoes, and as a result it has reported a 20 per cent growth in salad sales in the past year. Although Vitaminis have not yet made it into UK supermarkets, mini cucumbers from the Netherlands have been introduced at Asda, and seem to be catching on in the UK
This year, Dutch breeder Nunhems won the innovation award for its Intense tomato, which retains its moisture when cut. The variety has a high density and can be cut without losing its shape. A great advantage to the foodservice industry, the new breed is now on its way to changing the way tomatoes are bred.
Nunhems, a subsidiary of Bayer CropScience, is a global specialist in breeding seeds, and prides itself on adding value to the horticultural production industry and supply chain within the Netherlands. According to the company, communication throughout the supply chain is key to the Dutch salad industry’s success. “It is the Dutch industry’s mentality and vision that enables it to stimulate new markets and introduce new products,” says Rafael Mora, Nunhems’ crop sales manager for salads. “And it is the know-how of Dutch growers and their desire to produce top-quality crops that makes the industry so successful. Furthermore, the fact that Dutch seed companies co-operate closely with Dutch growers gives the industry the edge over other markets.”
Constantly moving with the times, the industry has a firm grip on the changing marketplace and consumer tastes. “The industry’s strength lies in the analysis of trends and developing products that the market demands,” says Martijn de Graaf, sales manager at salad marketing specialist Valstar Holland BV. “Greenhouses have had their place in the Netherlands for a long time, and they continue to develop, with more and more greenhouse technology becoming available every day.”
The Greenery believes that the Netherlands is the perfect place to both produce and market salad products. “First, the cool climate, coupled with sufficient sunlight, makes glasshouse production in the Netherlands very successful,” says the company’s Hans Verwegen. “Second, our central position among large European populations, like France, the UK and Germany, gives the Dutch salad industry a clear advantage.
“Last, the ingenuity of growers is a driving force of the Netherlands’ success, and if we look at our surrounding countries, we see that many innovations in production - technical and product-related alike - originate from our growers.”
The Greenery, a co-operation of 1,250 growers and a marketing company, is set to concentrate on increasing pepper consumption in the UK this year. “Our world cuisine paprika concept is aimed at revitalising the pepper category and increasing consumption,” says Verwegen. “According to TNS data, pepper consumption has dropped, and we believe new incentives should be welcomed. At the moment, we are printing eight different recipes from all over the world on our packaging, and we have introduced snack packs with a mix of peppers and different snack vegetables in one package.” The Greenery is also introducing its ‘burp-less’ cucumber to the UK market this year.
The Dutch salad industry has found that consumers are moving towards more traditional salad varieties, and many companies are redeveloping new versions of old-fashioned varieties, with the added benefits of modern technology.
Valstar Holland BV has launched a new range of tomatoes called De Inca, through the company’s brand Via Nova, which has gone back to basics and brought back the authentic taste of tomatoes by reviving a wild tomato plant. The variety originally grew on the South American Andes mountain range, and was discovered by the Inca tribe - hence the name of the breed. The tomato has been cultivated in Europe since the 1550s, but experienced a lull in production. Now Valstar has brought five types of the tomato - loose, cocktail vine, cherry vine, cocktail plum vine and cherry plum vine - back into the market.
“Consumers are demanding better-tasting produce, and now old-fashioned traditional varieties are being re-launched,” says de Graaf. “Our new line of authentic-tasting tomato varieties is now available in the UK and is doing very well. Of all the range, the Illapa [cocktail vine] tomato has the best taste and contains a higher level of lycopene - a natural element which has positive effects on the human body.”
Nunhems has launched a new lettuce concept called Multileaf. The range, which can be grown year round, comprises a wide range of lettuce varieties that can be produced using its newly developed growing concept, high density multileaf (HDM). The growing concept allows the lettuce to be harvested as single salad leaves, reducing handling costs and resulting in high yields. “The Multileaf range and HDM have many advantages for producers, processors, distributors and consumers, and are an important step in the production and processing of lettuce,” says Mora. “The UK market is more open to innovation than most, but it is also one of the most demanding in terms of health, safety and quality, as well as requiring year-round supply. With this in mind, I think Multileaf is going to do very well in the UK. After several years of testing the assortment, developing new varieties and ensuring that seeds are available, key growers are introducing Multileaf into the UK market.”
It is not just Nunhems’ products that make the business successful. The company works in partnership with its customers to develop and supply what Nunhems calls “brainware”.
“Nunhems’ brainware refers to our services, market intelligence and the technical and technological transference that our global network can provide,” explains Mora. “We have a very specific structure based on international teams, linked to a specific crop or market. Nunhems is able to provide its customers and partners with good contacts and services, wherever they are, or wish to be.”
Dutch breeding company Rijk Zwaan has a lettuce breeding team of more than 20 people, who know the salad market well and have innovation in mind. Dutch breeding companies have been leaders in developing new lettuce varieties and, due to the Netherlands’ climate, lettuce production has always been an important crop for Dutch growers. Rijk Zwaan has reached a breakthrough with its lollo range, and has launched two new types of high-yielding lollo rosso that have a sweet taste, while retaining their vibrant red colour. “Despite an extremely attractive appearance as a salad ingredient, lollo bionda and lollo rosso sales suffer because consumers think that red leaf lettuce tastes bitter,” says Jan Doldersum, the company’s co-ordinator for international projects. “Rijk Zwaan has moved to counteract this with a new double red, lollo rosso variety - 85-62 RZ - boasting a less bitter taste. So lollo rosso is now available in double and triple red (85-49 RZ); the double-red types grow faster, but have a paler red colour.
“In the past, growers producing triple-red types suffered slower growth rates and lower yields, but with the introduction of breakthrough variety lollo rosso triple red, growers can enjoy the same yields as the double red variety, making the crop far more efficient and attractive to produce.”
Rijk Zwaan further promoted its Salanova lettuce range at Fruit Logistica this year, by launching ‘the nova way of living’ campaign, which aims to push forward this ‘one-cut-ready’ lettuce. “Consumers want more variation in lettuce taste, shape and colour, and are looking for softer leaf structures,” explains Doldersum. “Growth in the market for fresh-cut salads is stagnating, which places emphasis on developing lettuce products with baby-sized leaves and improved shelf life. Rijk Zwaan has responded to these challenges by developing the Salanova range, which meets all of these demands. The range includes babyleaf varieties with better shelf life, flavour and a high percentage of usable product.”
But despite the innovation in the market, there are problems on the horizon for the Dutch salad industry. Low returns to Dutch growers, rising fuel prices and inconsistent seasons have all made an impact on the Dutch salad industry. And competition from the UK’s domestic salad production and eastern European countries, and the weakening pound, have put a strain on Anglo-Dutch relations.
The 2007 season for lettuce in the Netherlands was very good in terms of production, with favourable growing conditions bringing high yields. However, this resulted in extremely low returns for Dutch growers, according to Nunhems. “Last season, the Netherlands exported around 75 per cent of its total lettuce production, mainly to Europe,” says Mora. “But when the price is low in Europe, it is important for producers and traders to send products to other areas, where customers are willing to pay more.”
Tomato production in the Netherlands also had its problems last season; yield was low and production costs were high. And, as this year’s Dutch salad season begins, many hope that prices will rise. “In the last couple of months, the price of lettuce in general has been very disappointing,” says Doldersum. “The diverse lettuce types got a better price than the standard round lettuce, and it could be that more growers decide to change their planting schedule this year to get a better return. However, this could result in demand decreasing. We witnessed this two years ago when the price of lollo bionda went up, but as growers changed to the crop demand decreased, and we were left with too much produce. If low prices continue this year, then Dutch growers will crease to trade.”
As well as the weakening position of the pound in comparison to the euro, The Greenery maintains that the main issues for Dutch salad growers exporting produce to the UK is the lack of growth in demand from the UK market, and competition from Polish production, along with the inaccuracy of the environmental debate. “Uncertainty about the amount of food miles and carbon emissions caused by getting Dutch product over to the UK is a big issue for Dutch salad growers,” says Verwegen. “For instance, Dutch produce transported by boat to the Midlands from Hoek van Holland [port] causes fewer emissions and has less impact on the environment than forced UK product grown in the south of England.”
Verwegen fears these issues may have a long-term impact on the market for Dutch salads in the UK. The Dutch salad industry exports approximately 20 per cent of its total exports to the UK, but this figure is decreasing. With the UK salad season starting earlier every year, there are fears that UK consumers will push Dutch produce aside in favour of locally grown salads.
But, in general, Verwegen believes the future of the Dutch salad industry is bright and that the industry will continue with the innovation for which it is known. “We are not only experiencing a constant evolution in terms of the production of quality products, but also in new methods of cultivation, which offer huge opportunities for the industry,” he says.
Nunhems believes that an exciting period lies ahead of the Dutch salad industry, with new markets becoming more accessible. “In the future, the Dutch salad industry will increase exports to new markets such as Russia and eastern Europe, and maintain or improve, where possible, the high level of lettuce production,” says Mora. “New types of lettuce, like Multileaf, will increase in volume in the existing markets, and provide new possibilities to growers, traders, processors and supermarkets.”
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