Any reports of breaches in food hygiene, such as those in-store failings unveiled recently by the national media, obviously spell bad news. But the impact in these recent cases, for example this week’s contaminated basil scare, is likely to be both short-lived and local.

This does, however, reflect the level of trust that consumers place in the food industry as a whole, and again reveals the unique position at retail level that fresh fruit and vegetables have managed to retain as a store’s flagship aisle.

It is not that our products have a charmed life, although they still remain the backbone of every healthy eating campaign - a fact which has been hammered home more in the past five years than ever before. It is perhaps because, in my opinion, if they do come under the spotlight, they have always stood a very good chance of being protected on the shop floor. Similar-styled reports spreading doom and gloom have generally, with very few exceptions, concentrated further back along the distribution chain.

In my experience, these perceived sins have covered everything from reports on poor working conditions to what has now become an old favourite, namely the publication of the latest batch of MRL readings, long after the product has been consumed. With more and more consumers concerned about pesticides and residues, I wish there was better public understanding of what MRLs actually represent.

But, as I have already said, it all comes down to consumer confidence and trust.

And here again, fresh produce seems to enjoy several in-built advantages. There’s not much consumers can do when selecting meat or fish, for example. But fruit and veg are not just highly visual because of their colours, range and seasonality, but also, with the exception of pre-packs, because they can be selected, touched and smelt by the customer prior to purchase.

I saw these characteristics come into play very forcibly only this week, watching shoppers searching for the ripest tomatoes with a diligence far beyond what one could expect on a grading line.

And there is usually the added bonus that if, after purchase, strawberries, for example, are found to be squashy or avocados overripe, most sensible store managers will offer an exchange.

Fruit and veg is seen as a natural food product, and consumers therefore seem to enjoy shopping for it. This is a concept which has always benefited traditional street markets, and more recently farmers’ markets, as well as, at this particular time of year, pick-your-own farms.

I’m not saying that everything is perfect, mind you. Citrus can arrive which is sour, and stonefruit can be rock hard. And products which are supposed to be ready-to-eat do not always quite make the grade.

But in the main these are limited examples. The fresh produce industry in the UK has remained mercifully free of high-profile scares, let's hope it stays that way.

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