Looking forward to the year ahead has always been a tradition, although you don’t need a crystal ball to see that 2012 will be another tricky 12 months for the industry.

The key question remains over the fate of the euro, which continues to stumble along, and the impact that it may have alongside the future of US dollar rates against sterling.

There has been much discussion over suggestions to revitalise the high street, although with the cost of rents and the current economic climate it would be a brave independent shopkeeper who would subscribe to such a halcyon image.

Meanwhile, whatever other cards come up on the face of the pack, it can inevitably be expected that producers and their category managers will face additional expenditure on several fronts at a time when margins are already thin.

It is also a fair bet that pressure will be exerted by the few large retail customers remaining to search for that extra point of difference to tempt the customer with added value, linked to the insistence on exclusivity.

This aspect covers a multitude of requirements from novel and sophisticated packaging to the introduction of new lines from lesser-known sources.

This momentum is already on the way with China, for example, becoming better known as a source of citrus.

There is also the continuing competitive impetus of the eastern European members in the enlarged community, where many see produce exporting as a major potential plank in their future economies.

As an aside, during a recent trip to the Caribbean I came across what were described as black pineapples. It will be interesting to see how long it is before these appear on the shelves alongside purple asparagus, black carrots or the many hybrids of stonefruit already offering a new range of tastes.

Such volumes may still be small, but every extra line that arrives all vie for a place. As a result more and more will continue to compress the public concept of seasonality, which in the past has been a powerful selling force in the produce calendar.

And with waste paying a major part in profitability it can also be expected that there will be further trends towards extending shelf life in store.

So, in a nutshell, despite fruit and vegetables being regarded as one of the flagship sectors in-store and vital for the nation’s health, the sector can expect to see its ‘value for money’ mantra being trumpeted even louder - alongside a range of new offers yet to be dreamed up by marketing departments. -

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