English producers have expressed disappointment with Tesco’s decision to advertise imported Granny Smith apples at the height of the English apple season.
Adrian Barlow, chief executive of English Apples & Pears, said: “During the season we would like to see all advertising undertaken by retailers to feature English varieties.
“We would hope that would be the case because they’ve all expressed the view that they want to support the industry.
“We’re not going to be unrealistic. We realize there are other apples than English and that people have to strike the right balance but we’d like to think that the focus would be on English during the season.”
One industry source said the advert resulted from a lack of communication within the retailer, but suggested Tesco was looking to re-run the ads, featuring an English variety instead of the foreign Granny Smith.
A Tesco spokeswoman said the adverts were a continuation of its existing campaign and were part of a new set featuring apples, tomatoes and cheese. The adverts ran in some women’s weeklies, as well as national newspapers, weekend supplements and food magazines during October.
She added: "The ads are not designed to drive trade of Granny Smith’s at the expense of other apples, they are about making the broader point that the quality of our produce is as good as any other retailer’s. We’re committed to growing sales of UK apples and are doing more than ever before to promote British produce.”
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