Shoppers in the UK are looking out for food that they perceive as being good for them and, with fruit and vegetables ticking all the right boxes, this presents massive potential for the industry to make clear statements about what each category can offer.
Fresh produce provides its own unique combination of health-giving properties and the opportunities for positioning fruit and vegetables as health-giving options have never been greater.
It has been a few years since a list of so-called ‘superfruits’ burst into the mainstream, with their own set of sometimes weird and wonderful health benefits, and this was followed almost immediately by an avalanche of claims on all kinds of foods. The sheer volume of information thrown at consumers was overwhelming and much of the impact of the original superfruit concept was lost.
Since then, the EU has taken action to clamp down on nutrition and health claims that cannot be substantiated scientifically and review its approvals process. The new regulations will be fully implemented by January 2010.
But there is still a place in the fresh produce category for claims of this kind and many believe that the stricter rules will benefit the industry, presenting good opportunities for fruit and vegetables to position themselves as some of the most healthy foods around. Fresh fruit and vegetables can contribute up to 73 per cent of a person’s daily intake of vitamins A, B1, B6, C and B9 and can provide as much as 26 per cent of their daily intake of minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and zinc, alongside a string of other nutrition and health benefits - some better known than others.
These messages could help the industry achieve its goal of helping consumers reach their recommended 5 A DAY.
At the moment, UK consumption has stalled at around 2.5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day and, at this rate, it will take another 25 years for consumers to reach their target.
So how can the industry get well thought-out, scientifically backed messages to the public, in line with changing EU regulations on nutrition and health claims and before the 2010 deadline?
UK nutritionist and dietician Jennette Higgs has worked with the food industry to help make health claims and push approvals through the right channels. The new EU regulations, she says, should present a good opportunity for those who choose to go down that route, to spread their message across the supply chain.
“The need for tighter EU regulation on this issue goes back at least three or four years and it comes from the premise that consumers need to be helped to understand nutrition and health claims, so that they are not confused,” she explains. “Up until now, it has been easy to make claims that are very far-fetched, rather than based on science - for example, it is often the case that no research is done to confirm whether a product has the right qualities in the right quantities to meet health claims.
“Fresh produce is essentially very healthy and now we will have the mechanism to get that message out there. The new rules will formalise the process in which these claims are made, so companies should be in the process of looking at their labels, what they are saying on their websites, point-of-sale information, promotional material and PR and advertising campaigns.”
But, in general, there is less to check and change on the fresh produce front compared to processed and packaged foods, especially as a significant proportion is sold loose.
Higgs has worked with a number of US foods, starting out with the US Peanut Council and building from there. Her latest project has seen her working with the World Apple and Pear Association (WAPA) to collect and collate existing research on apples from across the world. This project will find out where the category stands in terms of the nutrition and health claims it can make and what needs to be done to create new health messages. The initiative, funded by the US, is a sign that the apple category is gearing up to make clear statements about its offer.
Kris Marceca from the US Apple Export Council obtained up to $50,000 (£35,190) in state funding for the project, encouraged by Adrian Barlow, chief executive of English Apples & Pears, who raised the issue at a WAPA meeting in August last year.
“We had been thinking about what WAPA can do for the apple category as a whole,” says Marceca. “We knew we needed to find out the best nutrition and health claims that we can make as a category and make sure that we can put those messages across, as well as identify the areas in which we need to do more research.
“The unique issue with apples is that they are often portrayed as a picture or representation of health and we are looking for a way to articulate that within the new EU regulations.”
Higgs is working to get both nutrition and health claims in order for the apple category, starting out with more basic nutritional information - that apples are a good source, or more than 15 per cent of the guideline daily amount (GDA), of fibre, for one - before extending it to make the health claim that apples as a good source of fibre can help reduce the risk of heart disease, for example.
The process that the sector has to go through to make a health claim is not an easy one, but it depends on what kind of nutrition or health claim is being proposed, whether it has been approved and what research exists in the field.
“The EU has a list of all the nutrients that you can make a claim for,” Higgs explains. “As for health claims, the EU has an approved list for straightforward statements, while more complex ones need to be put through an application process, in which existing and new research is compiled in a very thorough document.”
A scientific opinion on whether a health claim submission should be accepted or rejected will be delivered within five months of the acceptance of a validated dossier, after the EU has carried out a check on the content.
“Our aim for apples is to look at the science already out there, think about what claims can be made already and if the industry wants to go on to make other specific claims, to see what research still needs to be done,” says Higgs. “The purpose of the project and the commitment I have made to the industry is to do this thoroughly. I am still looking for information and it will take time because there are so many different varieties of apples. It is important that we do our homework.”
The project should be completed by this summer, well before the 2010 deadline.
But the apple category is far from the only one to get its nutrition and health messages out there. A number of other fruit and vegetable lines, from blueberries and tomatoes to asparagus, have succeeded in creating strong health statements to elevate the product in the eyes of the consumer and boost sales.
The British asparagus season, for one, has long been a highlight of the foodie calendar. The category is set to make the most of its eight-week availability from the end of April by putting across strong health messages. These range from tongue-in-cheek messages, picking up on the aphrodisiac qualities of the spears, to the more credible, focusing on the product as a good source of folic acid, as well as other vitamins and minerals.
The website, www.british-asparagus.co.uk, features a list of nutrition and health claims, including information on folic acid, of which an 80g serving provides 60 per cent of the GDA, as well as how asparagus can protect against heart disease and cancer, alongside boosting the immune system and detoxing the body.
Pam Lloyd PR, which oversees the promotional side of the British asparagus campaign, has been making the most of the vegetable’s health messages since it started on the project seven years ago. Dieter Lloyd, a partner at the PR agency, says that responsible marketing is crucial to preserve the credibility of health statements. “We have to be careful because there has been a big proliferation of claims, so we know that we have to be responsible - the majority of our statements are based on ‘can’ or ‘may’,” he says. “The well-known aphrodisiac claim has allowed us to tap into the public imagination, while our health claims are based on well-known associations; for example, there is no doubt that folic acid is good for expectant mothers.
“But any campaign needs to be careful about lecturing consumers because they are already lectured on a variety of topics - being told there is an obesity problem and that they should take more exercise and stop smoking, to name a few. The job for everyone in fresh produce is to make sure that there is just enough information out there for consumers to make their own decisions.”
Nigel Jenney, chief executive of the Fresh Produce Consortium, insists that the industry could take on board the changes to nutrition and health claim regulations to show that fruit and vegetables remain one of the best ways to achieve a healthy diet and boost consumption. However, he is aware that there are concerns about whether highlighting the sugar content in relation to the GDA could have a knock-on effect on some fruit.
“The proposed regulation covering nutrition labelling requirements exempts fresh fruit and vegetables from mandatory nutrition declarations,” he explains.“However, producers may wish to indicate nutritional information on a voluntary basis and would then need to comply with the requirements of the regulation.There are some concerns that under the GDA system, the sugar content of some fruit could be highlighted negatively.
“But we want to ensure that the benefits of fresh produce are not prejudiced by the proposed regulation and that the qualities of fruit and vegetables as a good source of vitamins and minerals are apparent to the consumer, to allow them to make informed choices,” he continues.
“The regulation could encourage the development of best practice in the presentation of nutritional information, including alternative forms of indicating the content in relation to overall daily nutrient requirements such as the GDA system, using, for example, graphical forms of presentation. This could help consumers to develop a greater understanding of the nutritional value of food and, while fresh produce will not be required to carry nutritional labelling, the fresh produce industry will seek to ensure that fresh fruit and vegetables are the mainstay of a healthy, affordable diet,” adds Jenney.
It is clear that as the 2010 deadline for EU regulations draws nearer, this is the right time for fresh produce businesses to consider their options when it comes to making nutrition and health claims. These messages, when properly backed up, will be an important tool that the industry can use in its battle to boost consumption and sales in a difficult and competitive time.
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