I get the feeling that fresh produce retailing is moving into a permanent new age, based on the increasingly frenetic promotions spreading across TV, the national media, and in stores themselves.

Such trumpeting must at some point reach a crescendo, so that the marketing men will have to come up with new forms of energy to light up what, in the main, are continuous special offers.

There already seems to be an indication that the gap between basic priced products sold loose and added value pre-packs is wider than it used to be, although there are still arrivals of the latter that the public is continuing to discover.

I mention this as Donut peaches, which made their debut in the UK about five years ago under the guise of somehow being associated with the planet Saturn, are a case in point. Many people during the weekly shop are still unaware of the fruit’s arrival on Earth.

But the more recently adopted description of their shape may help. Tesco has come up with a pack from Spain, similar to that used in the bakery department, priced at £1.59 for five, and named on the till receipt as Disney Donuts. An added incentive to appeal to children is that there are free stickers of Buzz Lightyear inside.

At this time of year berries really come into their own. Even my local high-class delicatessen is offering some top-class small cardboard punnets of raspberries and blackberries from Belgium.

One very British product which never seems to come into the limelight, but has its admirers even if it tends to get lost among the banks of strawberries and raspberries, is the humble gooseberry. It would be interesting to find out what has happened to our national acreage, if there is any.

Another popular British crop of course is sprouts, although consumption is mainly confined to the winter months. But for devotees, of course, 12-month continuity is paramount - which is why in the summer there is production for us south of the Equator. However, this seems to be moving further north, as Marks & Spencer has located Morocco as a source for baby sprouts priced at £1.59 for 200g.

Meanwhile, the gap between fresh prepared vegetables and salads has become even more blurred and, in the case of Sainsbury’s Five Leaf salad selection, seems to have made a total crossover. The message on the bag, priced £1.49 for 100g, is that the ready-washed mix of five exotic leaves - white chard, tatsoi, mizuna, pea shoots and rocket - is actually “ideal hot or cold”. Anything goes nowadays it seems when it comes to stir fry! The other line where that message is even clearer is Sainsbury’s branded Just Stirfry, £1.99 for 200g - in this instance, incorporating “sweet” asparagus.

And finally, Tesco has launched what must be one of the most inventive mix and match packs as a way of encouraging sales of aubergines. For customers who are either not too sure, or who have a passion for various types, there is a speciality baby variety presentation on offer sourced from the Netherlands, providing five different shapes and colours at £2.29 for 200g.

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