The UK government recently acknowledged the nation is lacking cooking skills with the announcement that practical food education will be boosted in schools nationwide.

However, anyone associated with the prepared category will already be very aware of the British reliance on ready-prepped vegetables, as it’s a market bucking the national trend of sluggish fresh produce sales.

According to the latest Kantar Worldpanel data, the market has increased by 5.2 per cent and is valued at around £1 billion. With 80 per cent of the population buying some form of prepared salads and vegetables, it is no wonder that the UK has the highest consumption of convenience food in Europe as stated in the European Food Information Council’s research paper Can Cooking Skills Be the Key to Health?

Prepared vegetables and salad are an easy way for consumers that may not have the knowledge or time to peel and chop to eat healthily – some 60 per cent is eaten as part of an evening meal. For single people, it means less waste and for a family it speeds up meal times.

Not surprisingly, given the amount of express stores located in commuter hotspots, Marks & Spencer is one of the most successful retailers of prepared produce, overtrading by 577 per cent.

Retail research agency Conlumino suggests that M&S is also benefiting from the austerity-driven trend of dining at home rather than in restaurants.

Waitrose is another retailer experiencing strong growth in both value and volume with on overtrade of 158 per cent.

Jane Milton, founder of food consultancy Not Just Food, says she is not surprised by the market increase. “There are plenty of people who do not know how to prepare vegetables,” she says.

“And I think there are even more opportunities around prepared vegetables by adding in sachets of sauce or flavoured butters to make them just that more exciting.

“For people who just would not think to cook vegetables in that way, it takes the product to another level,” she adds.

“I also think there could be more recipes printed on the packaging, so shoppers can see how the produce can form part of a meal.”

When it comes to prepared fruit, only 35 per cent of the population buys into this product, offering room for growth. Although Marks & Spencer overtrades significantly, it is not the top player in this category. The Co-operative and Sainsbury’s are the best performers in prepared fruit and The Co-operative is the main driver of salad trays, although Marks & Spencer has 60 per cent of the value share. Prepared salads continue to be a success story, with leafy salads increasing in value sales by 9.6 per cent.

Sandy Sewell, commercial director for Florette, says this success is not just down to convenience, but also innovation and NPD.

“Consumers must be engaged and excited to encourage frequency of purchase and this is where brands play an important role,” he adds. “We recently announced two industry-first NPD concepts, designed to breathe new life into two segments of the prepared salad category. “The first is Best Dressed Salads, a mix that comes with all the finishing touches - a deliciously fresh salad plus dressing and accompaniment concept that will be available in four flavour variants.

“The second is our most innovative NPD of 2013, which is not just a new salad mix or a range extension, but a new-to-shelf trademarked leaf called ‘Peppercress’. Peppercress has been developed to bring interest into a well-established sector in the category, strong mixes.

“While strong mixes account for 25 per cent of category sales, the segment is currently 3.5 per cent down year-on-year, so the potential impact of falling sales is significant.

“Both iconic NPD developments will play a major part in our 2013 marketing investment to help the category achieve the full sales potential that Florette believes it is capable of: that is, becoming a £1bn category.” —

SILVER LINING FOR BANANAS

Cavendish has long been the only type of banana to be established in the UK market, but Brazilians hope a new variety will find a place in the prepared sector. Michael Barker reports

nnovation and variety are not words often associated with the banana category. One of the best-loved fruit among both young and old, variations in terms of minis notwithstanding, there has not been much in terms of varietal development to shout about of late.

But Brazilian producers want to change all that with the Prata – or silver – banana, a variety that does not brown when cut and which could be ideally suited to the prepared category.

“The sodium content is lower, and the shelf life is longer [than Cavendish],” explains Jorge Luis de Souza, president of Abanorte, the fruit producers’ association in Jaíba, Minas Gerais in eastern Brazil.

“It is possible to use it in the fresh-cut sector because it browns slower. Another point in its favour is that everybody knows Cavendish and everyone is asking for innovation in bananas.”

Prata could be particularly popular in fruit salads and other prepared lines where it is vital the fruit retains its quality and texture for longer, he adds.

The first container load of the fruit is due to be sent to Europe around August, and there are ambitious plans for future sendings. By 2016 the region hopes to ship some 500 40ft containers, rising to 1,000 a year later and 2,500 by 2020. There are currently 12,000ha of the fruit planted in Jaíba, but there are plans to grow this to as much as 80,000ha over the coming decade.

These developments come on the back of research carried out jointly between Abanorte and three universities to develop the logistics technology to ensure the Prata arrives in optimum condition. Previously it was difficult to export by ship as it requires different cooling conditions to Cavendish.

The Prata variety has rapidly grown in popularity with Brazilian consumers. Five years ago it only had a 10 per cent share of banana sales, but that has risen to 50 per cent now.

The Prata developments are part of moves by Abanorte to emphasise Jaíba as a source of unusual and high-quality fruit, with Tahiti limes, Palmer mangoes and Formosa papayas also high up the list of products it wants to promote.

As well as its favourable climate, authorities in Jaíba have been investing heavily in irrigation in what authorities describe as the largest irrigation project in Latin America. And they have also been keen to highlight the fact that lower pesticide usage is needed due to the advantageous growing conditions. —

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