The challenge was thrown down to retailers to educate consumers about tomatoes. "We can offer assistance, but if we are unable to educate consumers [through the retail chains] we are nothing, said Syngenta's David Murcia.
Marks & Spencer's Andrew Sharp responded: "There is only so much time that a consumer spends in our stores and only so much information they can take in during that visit. We have the advantage at M&S of having a lot of prepacked product, which gives us more scope to relay information to customers, but it is very difficult to send out messages with loose product."
While he agreed that retailers have a responsibility to educate their own customers, he looked at the wider picture and said that M&S supports the work of the School Fruit & Vegetable Scheme to "get quality fruit and vegetables in front of the nation's children and giving them the opportunity to learn about where their fresh produce comes from, how it should be eaten and stored".
The consumers of the future are being well served by the UK initiative, he said, adding. "Other countries around Europe could certainly benefit from a similar approach."
Syngenta's Massimo Enzo added: "We have to first educate the retailer. It is very difficult to reach the final consumer and direct contact with someone who can advise you properly is always appreciated. It is something we are looking at economically it may be difficult to move in that direction.
"The two missing links are those between the retailer and production and the retailer and the consumer," Enzo said. "We have had experience of launching new varieties that have failed because we have perhaps not fed the buyer the right information and therefore they have not been capable of deciphering how to make the variety work for them. Buyers change regularly and training is crucial if they are going to learn enough about their category.
"But with diversification so great, we also need an expert in the fresh produce section; the consumer misses that connection that was so evident in the past."
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