When it comes to getting product taste right, there is no better way than for buyers and technologists to eat the fruit themselves. “There is no secret recipe, it is all about eating the product,” Marks & Spencer’s Andrew Sharp told delegates at last week’s global trends seminar held by the Produce Marketing Association in Barcelona. “All our product specifications include eating-quality parameters. We use technology where we can, but at the end of the day, it is about actually eating it.

“We ask our growers which of their products they take home to eat. It is about travel and having a budget to get out and meet people and find the best tasting products.”

Sharp was speaking on how M&S is delivering on the two big drivers in the global marketplace: taste and convenience. Growth areas for M&S are in its covenience foods: 70 per cent of the salads it sells are fresh-cut and 45 per cent of its vegetables. “But the area we are very proud of and the fastest growth area is prepared fruit.” Taste is just as important: “with a value added product, how much more disappointing is it if it doesn’t deliver on flavour,” he warned.

Convenience also relates to the store format and he said M&S is working hard to bring its food to more people. The rail-station convenience food store format is working well. “We have even had to open another store at London Victoria and have doubled sales. We are selling a lot of flowers there particularly.”

Labelling is an underdeveloped and useful format for getting messages across,” said Sharp. “We will be putting more nutritional and health benefit messages on our labels: nearly 75 per cent of all our produce is sold in pre-packs so we are in a good position to do that.”

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