Speaking at the Tomato Conference last week, Jim Monaghan said M&S wants to sell the best, wherever it comes from. During this summer 23 of the 30 tomato lines it handled were all home-grown.

Traceability in production was also key and carried out “very well” by British growers, he said.

But there was nothing new in Dr Monaghan's suggestion that the way ahead for growers was to add value through product differentiation and appearance although he believed production protocols and food safety could no longer be regarded as adding value. “Fruit has to look better to make a premium price,” he said. That has to be backed up by flavour, eating quality and freshness. “Customers have got to feel it's worth the extra money when they get it home.”

Home-grown is in itself an attribute which adds value, although Dr Monaghan questioned whether customers always knew where the fruit they were buying came from. For that reason, M&S has started to label packs with a Union Jack, he said. Regionality is more of a challenge as the industry continued to lose area. When the former VHB nursery at Rhymney Valley last changed hands, M&S lost its only source of Welsh grown tomatoes while the company is “scraping around” looking for a Scottish supplier.

In comparison, nutritional value of tomatoes remains a grey area. “We're waiting for clarification from the Food Standards Agency on what we can and can't say,” said Jim Monaghan. “But nutritional values will change over a week, let alone a season. I think best flavour and best appearance will sell fruit more.”

Classic varieties still account for the bulk of UK grown tomatoes, at 65 per cent in 2003. Cherry and plum types are neck and neck with around 13 per cent, followed by cocktail at eight per cent and beef at two per cent. About 70 per cent of fruit is marketed loose and organics accounts for eight per cent of all tomatoes sold. The value of cherry fruit in the UK market has increased but volume has risen faster. “That indicates it's becoming a commodity line,” he said.

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