Media reports in the Daily Mail and others in the last week suggesting sprouts and other vegetables are “off the menu” after price hikes of up to 70 per cent completely miss the point.

For a start, that sprout figure actually compares with Christmas four years ago and does not reflect the price increase in the last 12 months, which is only 8.4 per cent (see p13). Of course prices have risen in four years, but that doesn’t mean consumers will suddenly abandon traditional food.

You can’t tell me families can’t fork out an extra 16p a pack for a product that is as much a part of Christmas as mince pies and brandy butter, or that people will suddenly nibble on frozen chicken nuggets rather than shell out for a turkey.

These kind of headlines are both unhelpful and misleading, and only serve to increase the gloom around the nation.

And in a nod to that, we’re running a special ‘good news’ issue this week, accentuating some of the positive things that are taking place around the industry to give us all hope that better times are around the corner.

From innovative environmental initiatives to some of the work being done to combat pests, we aim to show how much there is to admire and why there are still plenty of reasons for optimism.