It is fascinating to see how what were once clearly defined product sectors on the retail shelf are now becoming more blurred. I first came across this in the US, where half a melon had been filled with raspberries and was for sale on the delicatessen counter.

We may not have reached this point in the UK yet, although the fresh-cut sector is well established.

But if the ideas in one area are temporarily exhausted, retailers are game to try something different, as shown by a sprouted pea and bean preparation with a mint dressing at Marks & Spencer, at £1.99 for 165g.

Tesco seems to have taken salad identity a stage further with an Italian-style presentation, 180g for £1.50, based on crops actually sourced from the country of origin. In this particular case, the product in question is rocket from Salerno.

What is equally interesting is that while I have always associated the term baby leaf with salads, Tesco is now using the description on 120g packs of Baby Leaf Greens, consisting of kale, cabbage and spinach, priced at 90p.

At the same time, there are still new lines coming through to excite the imagination. Courgettes are a product that seem to vary between finger-tip size to something the shape and appearance of a decent banana, according to source and time of year. Little effort has been made to differentiate between them to date, which is perhaps why Sainsbury’s has come up with a British-grown Romanesco courgette produced in Cambridge by Dave Murfitt in its Taste the Difference range. Sweetly flavoured, it stands out because of its ridged skin, and at £2.49 for two is obviously top of the price range.

While size is always a factor, there also seems to be a trend for the tomato industry to think small. Cherries on and off the vine have been around for several years. Something similar in appearance, although even smaller, are the recent arrivals to the market of several tomato types packed loose and the size of marbles. M&S has called them tomatoberries, and they are priced at £2.19 for 220g.

Meanwhile, the race to reduce prices and win customers’ hearts in the current economic climate continues apace. Hardly a night goes by without one supermarket or another sending out the message on the television that fruit and vegetables are even cheaper, and the same clarion call appears in the national press.

Regardless of what growers may feel about this extra pressure on margins, consumers are now getting a follow through in store, not just with banners but also with stickers on the packs, as per Italian Superior grapes at 85p for 500g at Tesco, bearing the retailer’s price pledge.

There was also another obvious message board for all shoppers to see in Tesco, identifying that during the day there had been a staff check for produce freshness.

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