I wonder if I am detecting the next trend in shopper information. Having introduced their growers on barkers, billboards and packaging to their customers, retailers seem to be adding nuggets of information to the small print, beyond simply the varieties concerned tasting better than anything else and, of course, their exclusivity.

With the English apple season now in full swing, Marks & Spencer is giving British Delbard, grown by Rob Simpson at £1.99 for a four-tray pack, a push by recording it as the best of the early varieties.

It adds that the fruit is so delicate that it is picked into bins lined with bubble wrap to protect it. And, of course, it puts pressure on the shop floor to treat them gently when handling in store.

And with the English plum season underway, M&S has also claimed Kent as a key source for perfectly ripe Victoria, grown in this case by Charles Gaskain, priced at £1.99. Just as significant is the news that the fruit, like some apples, is now being left on the tree for longer to develop the flavour.

Meanwhile, new varieties continue to emerge, for example at Tesco, which has come up with a trademarked lettuce grown by Langmead Farms called Dolce Verde, at 99p. It is a special selection from the Romaine category, which labelling claims to be exceptionally sweet, as reflected in its name, as well as crisp and crunchy, and containing folic acid, which up to now I always associated with spinach.

On the imported front, it is a time when Mediterranean grape really comes into its own and, at Tesco, the fruit is available is in a wide variety of colours and sizes.

However, the mixed 400g organic pack of Red Crimson from Italy and white Thompson Seedless from Greece, at £2.49, had very small berries, while what caught my eye was a 500g “speciality pack” of white grape at 99p. While undoubtedly good value and with far larger fruit, more information as to why they were so special would have been useful.

The exact opposite proved to be the case at Waitrose, which is throwing information at its devotees and adding a level of imagination and encouragement to buy. Recently, I reported that it was boldly labelling its herbs, and the trend has now swung to chillies. The red ones in its Cooks Ingredients range proclaim in large letters that they were originally discovered, along with the Americas, by Columbus, although in this case the source is more unusual as the modern growers concerned come from Jordan.

And while I haven’t found them yet, apparently the group, according to its new publication, is now stocking what it calls Red Heart kiwifruit, grown in China, which are slightly sweeter and plumper than green-fleshed types. It will be interesting to see how quickly they take off. In my experience, it took quite a long time for golden kiwifruit to make its mark, and supplies were initially very limited. Meanwhile, the original brown hairy ones have been upgraded and are now prominently labelled Hayward.

And finally, back in the UK, I assume, reflecting that there is always room for a new approach, sweetcorn has been given more added value in Sainsbury’s with a new look in its Tasty range at £2.49, or two for £4. Cobettes are also being featured, including cracked black pepper butter.

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