Last week, in my absence, Laura quite rightly commented that the supermarkets were being unfairly criticised for ignoring healthy foods in their in-store promotions.
That was backed up after FPJ went to press by independent shelf research that shows fruit and vegetable promotional space in UK supermarkets almost doubled in August this year, when compared to 2007.
A big tick for the retailers then and, in some respects, a healthy boost for our trade as well as consumers. But our front page story this week illustrates that some PR messages remain as out-of-tune with reality as ever.
It happens to be Waitrose that has chosen to ditch context in favour of sensational price claims on this occasion, but it is a general malaise within the supermarket sector. While every serious indicator in the country is telling the public that vegetable prices have risen this year, the premium retailer decides to claim significant decreases in its price, using a spurious year-on-year comparison.
Cash-strapped consumers may be labouring under the impression that their vegetables are dramatically more expensive this year than last. Surely though, it would be far more helpful in the long term if the companies they trust to provide them with their food are honest about the reasons why prices fluctuate, rather than artificially taking the moral high ground.