Home-grown tomatoes make for one of the most dynamic offers in the fresh produce aisle; so much so that they have held onto their status as iconic British products, overcoming criticism for the environmental cost of glasshouse production and building on their strength as UK-grown fruit.
Ten years ago, the domestic tomato sector produced mostly classic round product, with a small 10 per cent niche for cherry tomatoes. Since then, the industry has grown and developed almost beyond recognition, and now produces a wide-ranging offer, including plums, which make up 20 per cent of the market, cherries, which have a 17 per cent share, cocktail varieties, with 16 per cent, and beef types, with three per cent, all alongside classic round tomatoes, with 44 per cent of the market share. More than half the products are sold on the vine.
The UK season traditionally makes a start in February, with volumes building throughout March until supply peaks in June and July, before wrapping up in November, although limited volumes are produced all year round in glasshouses.
This year, the UK season got off to a slow start, but it looks as if a straight run of hot and sunny days in the last few weeks could turn it around. March and April saw almost daily rainfall and a
15 per cent drop on light levels, which have come together to hold back the UK crop and consumer demand. But since the bank holiday welcomed a little glimmer of summer, the sector is optimistic that it will be able to grow sales if the warmer weather continues. However, the slow start to the season means that June could see dips in home-grown volumes, which could see the market running short at a crucial time in the calendar.
It is still too early to tell how the season will pan out, but the sector is hoping for consistent weather, so that supply and demand can build steadily, without interruptions.
Gerry Hayman, chief executive of the British Tomato Growers’ Association (TGA), is optimistic for the season, but is urging growers to be as efficient as possible so that they can make the most of their returns. The way growers handle their costs, whether they are equipped to make savings by sharing heat and power and recycling, and how efficient they can make their operations, will put some in a much better position than others to make their businesses profitable in these trading conditions.
But the biggest single factor to affect the sector this season is the price back to the producer and the general consensus is that growers are not getting the returns they need and deserve, considering the quality of UK tomatoes.
“The last thing we need is for anyone to be promoting on price,” says Hayman. “But the fact that the market has been slower to build this year means that it should be strong.
“The problem is that tomato prices are roughly the same as last year, and are not keeping up with rocketing costs of fuel and fertiliser, as well as labour costs, which are as high as ever,” he adds. “We are at a tipping point at which, if this situation continues, growers won’t be able to supply.
“We are trying to promote the flavour and freshness of home-grown tomatoes, but we do need to be paid more for our product. It will be difficult for growers to sustain their businesses without an increase in price. The nature of what we do, in glasshouses, means that we are less flexible than other categories. To increase production, a grower would have to switch glasshouses from other crops or invest in building a new one, and you need to be confident that you can make it back to be able to do that.”
Some say Jersey has been hit harder than most areas on the mainland UK this season, with rising transport costs hitting the sector hard. Kevin Hervé, director of Harmony Produce on the east coast, insists that, despite mounting production costs, he feels buoyant about the prospects for this season. The Jersey-based supplier produces the Jersey Jewel, a baby plum on-the-vine variety, for Tesco.
“Our costs are reasonably under control, and we have no labour issues because they are regulated by our own government, but the only one we cannot hold down is fuel,” says Hervé. “For now, our returns are at a sustainable level. The crop is there and the sun is out, and it will be the next few weeks that will really make our season.”
Others maintain that price increases are necessary. Paul Faulkner, managing director at Fresh Link Marketing, insists that the sector needs to secure cost price increases. “This season has been well-documented and everyone is aware of the cost pressures we are facing, especially as energy costs make up around a third of total production costs - but it is important for growers to secure increased returns,” he says. “There has been a slow, steady demand for UK tomatoes in the last few weeks and, this week, now that it is getting warmer, it has really started to get exciting. We have quite a few sampling sessions in stores in the next few months, so that will help push the product.” Fresh Link supplies Sainsbury’s with a wide range of lines, including Taste the Difference Vine tomatoes, Vittoria and Pomodorino.
Faulkner says educating the consumer about the UK offer would be the best way to grow the category, and that this responsibility should be shared throughout the supply chain. “Tomatoes are almost an iconic product in the UK, and we need really need to show consumers how fantastic and versatile they can be,” he says.
Interest in UK tomatoes from both retail buyers and consumers has reached an all-time high this season, on the back of increasing emphasis on home-grown produce and seasonality, as well as the higher cost of European imports caused by the exchange rate. “The value of the euro means that imports from Europe will cost 15-20 per cent more than last year, so this could be one of the reasons why we have received so many enquiries about UK product this season, as well as the fact that both retailers are showing more interest in home-grown tomatoes, in response to consumer demand,” says Hayman. “We have to continue to tell people that we produce a better product in terms of freshness, flavour and reliability of supply, as well as nutritional content, than a lot of imported produce, and we just have to push at the open door.”
The UK tomato sector is gearing up for British Tomato Week, next week, in order to raise awareness about the domestic season at a time when supplies are picking up.
This year’s main event will see British tomato growers supply their fruit to restaurants in the Houses of Parliament. Chefs in both the Lords and the Commons are planning special tomato menus throughout the promotional week, from May 19. Members of the TGA will be on hand to raise awareness about the tomato season, as volumes build to their peak.
The event has been championed by Baroness Shephard of Northwold, following a visit she made to Cornerways Nursery in Norfolk, the county in which she was an MP for a number of years. “As a former minister of agriculture, fisheries and food, I am always delighted to help promote a great British product, and the British tomato falls right into that category,” she says. “British tomatoes are full of flavour and are, of course, grown locally throughout the country. With the increased emphasis on healthy eating and on carbon footprints, not to mention the need to cater for the nation of foodies we are becoming, the British tomato fills the bill. The forthcoming promotion of the British tomato in parliament will, I hope, be a huge success.”
Nigel Bartle, TGA chairman and manager of Cornerways Nursery, is gearing up for the main event, which he will co-ordinate from his Norfolk site. “Baroness Shephard of Northwold has been phenomenal in supporting us and getting British tomatoes into the Houses of Parliament,” he says. “We are not that far from London in the great scheme of things, so we will be collecting and co-ordinating tomatoes at our site and taking them down the M11. Taking British tomatoes to Westminster will hopefully remind MPs that we are producing great British product with a great environmental story, even though we are a relatively small industry.
“The team will be hosting tastings in Norwich, Peterborough and Cambridge on a couple of days next week, and we have already started taking local interest groups on tours around our site, starting with the Great Snoring Village Group, so that they can learn more about how UK tomatoes are produced and taste-test the product. Across the UK, there will be all sorts of things going on.”
The major players in the UK tomato sector will come together to mark British Tomato Week, and draw attention to the increasing UK volumes available.
English Village Salads (EVS) will kick off the event by sending out a stress-busting tomato game on email, as well as creating an Asda.com microsite featuring easy-to-make recipes and information on the activities. The Yorkshire-based supplier will reinforce this by sending press packs to medium- and short-lead media, also including recipe ideas.
Kelly Colrein, marketing manager at EVS, is collecting tomato recipes from celebrity chefs to help promote British Tomato Week. For every recipe idea received from a celebrity, EVS will donate money to Macmillan Cancer Support.
“The aim of the recipe ideas is to encourage increased consumption of tomatoes by suggesting different ways in which to use them,” says Colrein. “Later in the season we will be targeting 17- to 24-year-olds, as this age group under consumes, with a competition in relevant media and by explaining the inner health benefits of consuming tomatoes, with statements appealing to this age group. This will be backed up by research commissioned from the University of Leeds.
“We have already sent out 1,000 propogated tomato plants to schools in the region, mainly targeting inner city schools that otherwise would not have access to growers or farms,” she adds. “Each participating school has been invited to enter its tomato plants into a competition to be judged on the Asda stand at the Great Yorkshire Show in July. The winning school will receive a timber potting shed and gardening equipment.”
Tastings at the BBC Good Food Festival in June, the Tasty Tomato Competition at Hampton Court in July, and the Totally Tomato Festival in September, as well as a presence at the National Fruit Show and the National Tomato Conference in October will follow to continue the promotional push.
The nationwide activities planned for next week will back up the string of positive news stories in the media in recent months, including the health benefits of lycopene and research that showed daily portions of tomatoes could protect against sunburn and premature aging.
“Some retailers are flirting with the idea of promoting tomatoes with messages about lycopene on packs, but this cannot be finalised until a recommended daily intake is decided upon,” says Hayman.
“Flavour has to be our number-one priority. We have been asked a thousand times why tomatoes don’t taste like they used to, but UK growers only supply around 20 per cent of the total UK consumption and, for me, it is no coincidence that as imports have grown, consumers have started to complain about taste and flavour.
“We just have to keep telling everyone that UK tomatoes are here, and encourage people to see how great they taste for themselves, so that they keep coming back for more,” he adds. l
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