Tomatoes were in the spotlight last week and, with the British Tomato Growers’ Association (TGA) pulling out all the stops to raise awareness, the UK season is in for its annual boost.
The sun may not have shone on British Tomato Week this year, but that did not stop UK producers and suppliers turning out in force to support their industry.
The aim of the event is to mark the arrival of home-grown tomatoes on the market in plentiful volumes, says TGA chairman Gerry Hayman, as this is one of the most valuable tools for the industry. “The intention is to market British tomatoes at a time in the season when there is a lot of product available, so that consumers know they are on the market in force,” he says.
“We need promotions at this time because it can be a little bit sticky for home-grown tomatoes, with imported product still around, and we need people to know that British produce is here,” he adds.
The majority of major UK supermarket chains, including Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Somerfield, The Co-op, Marks & Spencer and Waitrose, jumped on board, Hayman says, and the support from suppliers has been overwhelming.
A total of 60 hampers were dispatched to key media figures ahead of British Tomato Week to get them on side, and this will be followed up with an additional 60 hampers intended for health and food writers in July.
But the promotional push coincided with a difficult period in the market this year as a result of bad weather and rain, Hayman says, and this will make it difficult to measure the success of the event in terms of sales.
But a glance at the number of hits on the TGA website during British Tomato Week, which peaked at more than 75,000 in May last year, shows that consumers are paying attention. More hits are anticipated this year following the revamp of kids’ website The Tomato Zone.
Hayman is upbeat about the UK season. “Demand for British tomatoes is booming and, up until now, we have had great weather,” he says. “The quality of the crop this year is fantastic because of the light levels we’ve had.
“But we have not had enough product to go round,” he adds.
Early market prices for UK product have been satisfactory, according to Hayman, but he warns that mid-season returns are make or break for the sector. “Prices could always be higher, but we are not complaining - so far so good,” he says.
The push for UK-grown tomatoes does not begin and end with British Tomato Week. Plans are in the pipeline for a plethora of events to push home-grown product this year. “British Tomato Week is only part of what we do to promote the product,” says Hayman. “This is a starting point for us, but we have to keep the effort going all summer. If you put all your eggs in one basket - British Tomato Week - you can miss your chance because of outside factors, such as the weather or the market, so part of what we are trying to do is to make a sustained effort. It’s important to keep the message going.”
The TGA will maintain its presence throughout the summer, putting in appearances in July at Hampton Court and the BBC Summer Good Food Show, where its stand will be twice the size it was in 2006, at the Chichester-based Totally Tomato Festival in September, and for a second time at the National Fruit Show in October.
The 10th anniversary of the TGA will be marked with an event at the Royal Chelsea Hospital on July 12. “This is going to be a great day and a chance to thank all our members for all their hard work,” says Hayman. “The Chelsea pensioners will be there for lunch and taste-testing, as well as celebrities and politicians. We are really looking forward to it.”
British Tomato Week has been key to changing the public perception of UK tomatoes, according to Hayman, and the turnaround in attitudes is testament to the hard work put in by the TGA. “We used to get a lot of bad press - scare stories about GM and pesticide sprays, as well as people claiming tomatoes don’t taste as good as they used to,” he says. “But this has changed. This year people have actually taken the time to write to us and we have got some great feedback - it means a lot that they are so impressed they have taken the time to let us know.”
A number of letters have been received by the TGA since the start of the 2007 season that uphold the quality of British tomatoes.
“I bought some of your tomatoes, Temptation, yesterday and thought I would write to you just to say how much I enjoyed them,” wrote one satisfied customer, Mrs P Snell. “So lovely to find what I call a real English tomato with a really good flavour and thin skin. So I hope you continue to supply them so I can enjoy them.”
Hayman says UK suppliers should be proud of their tomato offer. “British tomatoes are fresh and local, they taste good, and they’re out there now,” he adds.
SAINSBURY’S SAMPLINGS
Sainsbury’s stores across the UK hosted a number of tomato samplings last week as part of British Tomato Week.
FPJ was invited down to its local Nine Elms branch, where fresh produce consultant Tony Bilsborough and chef Noel Goulding, who manned a stand on behalf of The Greenery UK, drew in shoppers with samples of the Pomodorino variety and a raft of ideas and tips.
Almost every shopper passing by stopped to try the product, according to Julie Woolley at the Tomato Growers’ Association (TGA), and many were keen to find out more about it. “Events like this are intended to show everyone that British tomatoes are in season and available in store,” she said. “Sainsbury’s, like the majority of the supermarkets, has been very supportive.”
The Sainsbury’s tour started at the Bamber Bridge branch, with support from Lancashire grower and former TGA chairman Peter Lansdale and Gill Barrow, a technologist from The Greenery UK, on June 14.
It continued at the Hessle store, near Hull, and concluded with the stand at the Nine Elms store in London.
“This is about getting shoppers to try the product for themselves - and it works. If people like what they try, they are more likely to buy, and they are likely to come back for more if they enjoy the product at home,” Woolley said.
Sainsbury’s shopper Izzie Waterman told FPJ: “I love these tomatoes - I just bought some on my way through - and it’s great that they’re British.”
KIDS, CAMERA, ACTON
Students at the Kids’ Cookery School (KCS) in Acton, west London, made good use of tomatoes donated by the British Tomato Growers’ Association last week.
More than 50 pupils from local primary and secondary schools and students who attend the KCS weekly cook-and-eat sessions, which are open to children aged from five to 14, cooked with six tomato varieties, did taste tests and learned about the benefits of tomatoes in a healthy diet to mark British Tomato Week.
A calzone pizza and tomato salad made by after-school club students was the highlight of the event.
The unique cookery school for children aged three years and upwards is a registered charity that offers practical activities for children who are socially or economically deprived.
“We believe that all children should have the opportunity to learn to cook, so that they have the skills and knowledge to make good food choices for themselves,” said a spokeswoman.
More than 60 per cent of KCS students attend on a free or assisted basis, more than 50 per cent come from black, ethnic minority or refugee backgrounds and more than 20 per cent have physical, learning or behavioural special needs.
KCS has taught more than 14,000 children around London since it opened in April 2000, and ultimately aims to reach children across the UK.
TASTINGS TANTALISE ASDA CUSTOMERS
Stubbins Marketing Ltd showcased its new-season British vine tomatoes at the re-launch of the Asda store in Harlow Town last week, as part of its activities for British Tomato Week.
The Stubbins and Asda teams offered young and old Asda customers the chance to taste and buy some of its new range of Asda Extra Special juicy British tomatoes.
Most shoppers were persuaded to try a tomato and many walked away with a packet to buy at the checkout. “These British tomatoes taste like a tomato should taste,” one shopper told FPJ.
Barry Gramlick, store manager of the Asda Harlow store, was pleased with the customer reaction. “We have been successfully introducing new lines and extra special ranges, because customer demand is high for these types of products.
“British Tomato Week is an opportunity for Asda to push forward the message that fresh British tomatoes are good for you and they taste great too. Activity that promotes the consumption of fresh healthy salads aimed at Asda customers is very important. British-grown product also requires fewer food miles and can be in our stores quicker than imported products, which means it is fresher,” he added.
Gramlick, who has been at Asda for two years, has seen interest in tomatoes grow considerably over that time. “Everyone wants different varieties of tomatoes. People are using them for barbecues now. Different varieties, flavours and even colours are also becoming very popular,” he said. “There has definitely been an increase in demand.”
John Difrancesco of Stubbins told FPJ: “The event has gone really well and it is so encouraging as a grower when you hear customers say that the tomatoes taste lovely.”
The 30-year-old family business grows a wide selection of salads in Essex, Wales and Cambridgeshire.
TAMSYN TOPS AT THE CO-OP
A Best of British salads day at The Co-op in Epping pulled in the crowds last week.
Local salad growers from Stubbins Marketing Ltd brought mascot Tamsyn the Tomato to the store to promote the benefits of locally grown British salads.
A display of fresh tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers attracted attention in the lunchtime rush and sweet British tomatoes were offered to shoppers to taste as they arrived at the store.
Store manager Steve Savery said: “Locally grown British produce is in demand from my customers - they are always keen to know where their salads are grown and today they can see in store the actual growers themselves.”
AND TANYA TAMES WELSH TOTS
Twenty primary school children were treated to a day out at an award-winning tomato nursery in Wales last week.
Stubbins Marketing Ltd opened the doors of its Rymney Valley Tomato Nursery to teachers and pupils from St Mellons Church in Wales Primary School on May 15.
Tanya the Tomato was on hand to welcome the little visitors, who each received a Somerfield goody bag before being taken on a tour of the nursery and shown an educational slide show.
A competition based on how much the kids had learnt from the visit and a prize for the winner formed one of the highlights of the day.
And Stubbins provided tomatoes to be taken back to school for lunch.
Peter Turone, commercial manager at Stubbins, said: “We hope today’s visit may have conveyed in a small way the benefits of healthy, locally grown British produce.”
Head teacher Rosemary James added: “This visit has proven beneficial to the children - they have learned that the tomatoes they buy from their local Somerfield are grown almost round the corner.
“We are a healthy school and hopefully we will see a lot more of these healthy tomatoes in lunch boxes.”
Somerfield produce buyer Alistair Swan added: “Activity like today’s - promoting the benefits of local, healthy, British produce - is very important. Raising awareness amongst the younger generation of healthy eating is strongly supported by Somerfield.”
EVS REACHES FOR THE STAR
English Village Salads (EVS) pulled out all the stops to promote British tomatoes across the UK this week - winning coverage in The Sun and the Daily Star.
The supplier arranged for 30 hampers to be sent out to key media figures to drum up awareness of British Tomato Week.
It also hit Waitrose stores in Yorkshire to push its local offer with in-store tastings, and kitted out Asda with themed tray liners and an advert on Asda FM.
Kelly Colrein at EVS said: “We have been involved in British Tomato Week since it started four years ago and, while sales are affected by factors like the weather which is out of our control, our promotional activities are important. We need to let people know that home-grown product is here.”
FRESH AND FLAVOURSOME
Flavourfresh Salads made its contribution to British Tomato Week by taking part in the first Southport Food and Drink Festival.
The four-day event, which kicked off on May 17, celebrated the local offer from the north-west.
It involved local producers as well as representatives from each stage of food production, preparation, presentation and sale.
Flavourfresh Salads held a display and tasting stand in the main marquee, which hosted a number of cookery demonstrations throughout the day.
Brendan Gillow at Flavourfresh Salads told FPJ: “We ran a tomato eating competition on the Thursday, which was covered by BBC Radio Manchester, and we had more radio coverage in the form of direct interviews with BBC Radio Lancashire and Merseyside.
“We also ran a nursery visit on the Wednesday which was attended by Good Housekeeping and Lancashire Evening Post.”
BAARDA HOSTS BORO KIDS
A Middlesborough primary school was invited to its local John Baarda Ltd nursery as part of the awareness drive for UK tomatoes.
Sixty pupils from the Cowpon Bewley Junior School took the tomato tour on May 15.
The event gave the 18-month-old nursery the opportunity to open its doors to the local public and teach people what goes on inside, John Baarda sales manager Gary Havenhand told FPJ.
A Syngenta representative was also invited to explain to the children how the crops are managed.
All the children received a Somerfield goody bag, including a 500g punnet of British tomatoes.
Havenhand said: “The event went really well. It’s important that children can see how tomatoes are grown and, for a lot of kids on the trip, this was their first time in a nursery. It’s a big deal for them, as the site is the size of 14 football pitches.
“We were apprehensive at first because we know that a lot of kids won’t eat their greens. But when we gave them the chance to try the tomatoes, they dived in and we struggled to give them enough - the kids picked out piccolo cherry on the vine as their favourite.
“It was very useful for us to get feedback from taste-testings and to interact with the children, and find out what they like and dislike - we knew we would get a good, honest answer from the kids.”
ALL WIGHT FORTNIGHT
The Isle of Wight saw British Tomato Week stretched into a fortnight to fit around school timetables and exams.
More than 200 schoolchildren visited the glasshouses at Wight Salads Group in that time, where they were taken on a tour of the nursery before taking part in taste-testing and competitions to guess the weight of tomatoes and rename varieties.
The supplier was also involved in samplings at the four major multiples on the island - Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Marks & Spencer and Somerfield - to push home-grown product.
Linda Applegate at Wight Salads told FPJ: “British Tomato Week has grown dramatically since it started out four years ago, and we have been involved from the beginning.
“We get a lot of interest from schools. We aim the visits at nine and ten year olds, with someone in a tomato suit to entertain the kids - the idea is to catch them when they’re young.
“But we also host visits from adults and A’ Level or university students throughout the year.”
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