Reading the small print on packaging can often lead to intriguing discoveries. Sainsbury’s has proven to be a mine of information recently, providing plenty examples of the copywriter’s craft.

First, I noticed an attractive organic pack of a dozen Medjool dates each wrapped around a walnut and priced at a hefty £3.99. I was intrigued to see the product came from India, which also supplied a straight, shelled equivalent pack of walnuts.

The full descriptive text for the former pack however takes some beating. To quote: “Organically cultivated walnuts from the heavenly heights of the Himalayas.”

More noticeable was the message on 1.5kg packs of Estima potatoes at £1.29. The crop is being grown in selenium-enriched soil. This reflects a trend that many retailers I have spoken to recently believe will take hold so that labelling of beneficial vitamins and minerals on-pack will become commonplace.

As my last foray down the aisles showed, avocados come in all shapes and sizes, but am I right in thinking that Sainsbury’s is the first to offer consumers a Ripen at Home pack?

The four small Hass from Israel are offered in a netted pack priced at 99p. But what was equally impressive was the label which had clearly illustrated instructions on preparation.

The only fault I could find was on the shelf barkers; avocados was spelt with an “e” before the “s”. Up until then I thought the gremlins only got into newsprint!

Meanwhile, more convenience packs continue to appear, and Marks & Spencer seems to have reached a point where it has combined prepared and whole together with a 180g pack of Santi tomatoes, sliced avocado and a balsamic dressing.

And on the next shelf was a new ready-to-cook range of broccoli, fine beans, asparagus, sugarsnap peas and potatoes, as well as what was described as a Superveg stir fry.

Things are also getting moving on the fruit front, and at this time of the year citrus really comes into its own. However, it would be interesting to find out how sales are going faced with the unseasonably high temperatures, and, one must assume, fewer colds and bouts of ‘flu about.

Nevertheless, the range of citrus varieties is continuing to expand. Consumers in the Netherlands have long recognised Salustiana as a juicing orange, and this variety is now making its presence felt in the UK.

Similarly there was a time when blood oranges were only associated with Spain, but are now regularly joined on the shelves by Sicily, although labelling frequently refers to them as “ruby”.

Citrus may be plentiful, but pears are clearly being drawn from several sources to meet demand. Asda has turned to France with a new four-pack of Angelys in its Extra Special range at £1.88. The variety has a deep golden brown russet and is more like Comice in shape than Conference.

Then there are the exotics. Pluots are becoming more evident and Waitrose has included these in its Perfectly Ripe range at £2.99 for six.

And Tesco, which added eddoes to its shelves some months ago, is now selling chikoo from India - something I had yet to see in my neck of the Home Counties. At 99p for four fruit, there is also useful descriptive text on the label - critical to encourage most shoppers to try them.

And back at Asda, there are still signs the fungi range is expanding. In this instance Buna Shimeji at £1.38 for 150g, also described as Eastern Beach Brown mushrooms.

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