New-look labels seem to be all the rage in 2005, writes David Shapley.

Marks & Spencer has certainly gone to town with its Eat Well sunburst roundel. The new logo appears on virtually every item, including loose fruit such as Pink Lady apples, although these also retain their own branded label.

I wonder if this is an illustration of the point I made last week about 5 A DAY messages beginning to run out of steam?

There may of course be other reasons. For instance, the sheer volume of relatively giant-sized apples around at this point in the season has caused a few headaches about how to fit them into pre-packs and led to other strategies for marketing.

Tesco has come up with another alternative for loose fruit: a value apple.

The PLU number ensures that the price is right at the checkout, but the variety is unnamed. Somewhat confusing, because at the store I visited I could not see the identity on the shelf.

A brand-new development, I believe, is the free mixes of 500g diced swedes and carrots being provided with a purchase of 2.5 kg of Maris Piper. I wonder how far this initiative might go to embrace other associated products?

While everyone buys apples and potatoes, the same is not true for chillies, although credit to retailers as the majority at least give some indication of strength on the packaging.

Sainsbury’s has come up with a new nomenclature on its pre-packs from Morocco at £2.39. As well as listing them as mild, the store also describes them as Tapas chillies which should help encourage the taste buds, and hopefully sell more.

Ready-to-eat and mixed-maturity fruit is now an established part of the retail requirement ever since M&S launched its banana pack at the turn of the millennium.

Now it seems as if the marketing gurus are turning their attention elsewhere with bagged stone fruit carrying the message "Ripen in the Bowl ".

It would be interesting to know how well sales of Sainsbury’s Kumato is progressing. The exclusive black tomato grown in Spain sells at £1.69 for four but recently is more of a chocolate brown than black.

I also noted a new line of sweet-and-sour stir fry at £2.49, which illustrates just how integrated the fresh aisles are becoming with semi-processed fruit and vegetables.

As a footnote, and sure to make the jaw of even the most hardened retailer or supplier drop, I had a first-hand report from renowned fruit-trader Alick Glass as he perused the food hall in Harrods this week.

Although French Comice at £5.99 a kg was making a premium of £3 over English Conference, it was the price of red Australian cherries that rendered the poor man utterly incredulous.

Have a guess before you read any further.

The ticket was an incredible £49.99 a kg.

Listening in on a conversation over Glass’s mobile I heard the section manager confirm that 18 of 20 boxes delivered over the weekend had been sold.

For once, even Alick was lost for words.

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