Authenticity is set to be the next in a long line of trends that have boosted the fresh produce industry, building on consumer demand for food that is sound and healthy, and taking these concepts up a gear. A number of fresh produce lines are already inextricably linked to their historical provenance and production methods, including the likes of British strawberries and Florida grapefruit, but this notion could override the movement towards local food in the future?
Is there room for another trend on the marketing bandwagon, especially at a time when consumers are going back to basics and cutting their spending? Or could this be a good opportunity for the fresh produce industry to reach out to consumers with more positive messages?
US publisher and Perishable Pundit Jim Prevor spoke about authenticity at the Re:fresh Conference back in May and, since then, the trend has shown signs of gathering pace. He claims the concept has developed stateside as a “subterraneous notion”, which has been building in consumer consciousness for some time. His research, both in the US and the UK, indicates that authenticity could be the next big opportunity for the fresh produce industry.
“Consumers may use different words and they may say they want local or organic produce, but what we have found by holding focus groups both in the US and in the UK is that when you pin them down and understand what they mean by these things, these terms have many definitions,” Prevor explains. “In the States, Wal-Mart defines local produce as being sourced from the same state and Whole Foods terms it as within a seven-hour drive, but in the UK, we found a big nationalist component - while consumers in London waxed poetic about local produce, they would rather have food from 250 miles away in Scotland than from nearby in France.
“When consumers say they want ‘local’, they mean other things by it. We found that rather than wanting a specific type of product such as local or organic, they have in their minds a certain notion that they just want things to be right, which is where authenticity comes in.”
The opportunity for growers and suppliers to tell their story is open to a wide range of sources and products, which each have a history of their own and therefore a story to tell. The move towards authenticity is about recognising that products have strong links with specific places and producers. “If you think about products like Florida grapefruit or cranberries from Cape Cod, they are grown in the right place and they are produced in farms that have done so for hundreds of years,” Prevor says. “But other long-standing production areas such as leafy salads in the Salinas Valley and apples in Washington state do not have the same image.
“This issue is coming to the forefront now and emphasising the relationship between the production area, the producers and the product could be a way for shippers to deal with the locally grown phenomenon, because they cannot open farms everywhere to be local everywhere. They can, however, emphasise the authenticity of their products and the generations of families involved.”
This trend has seen a switch back to emphasising the natural elements of food production, by highlighting connections between growers, their products and the land. “The emphasis used to be on how modern growers and suppliers were, but it has shifted and companies want to build on a heritage that is authentic and rooted to the land,” Prevor says. “Now, growers in the US, South Africa, Chile, Australia and New Zealand are making an effort to emphasis more than the quality of the fruit, but also the place in which it is grown and the credibility of the farmers in terms of their stewardship.”
Lorna Christie, vice-president of the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) in the US, says the trend has already woven itself into the UK market as a longer-term ideal. “While I don’t see myself as an expert on UK trends, I do see sustainability, organics and local as all subsets of the new intellectual eater’s search for authenticity,” she says.“If you consider authenticity within that context, then the trend is not coming, it is already part of the UK’s social andfoodie landscape.
“I believe this trend has a number of influences. The more complicated our lives have become, the more we find comfort in simplicity.There is a very real experience-based food movement in the US that connects perfectly with the authenticity trend.
“A Harvard university professor once noted that people who buy drills don’t need drills, they need holes.In other words, marketers should focus on the need behind the purchase, rather than the purchase itself.With the search for authenticity, I believe consumers are trying to connect with both a social and physical need.Within the social context, they want to feel good that the purchase they made was produced in a manner that protects the environment and they want to believe that the food they buy is better for them.The perception that locally producedor organic food is safer, with fewer pesticides, produced with less harm to the environment is a very real part of their decision. Now, while we know that is not necessarily an accurate perception, marketers need to pay attention to these motivators.”
Consumers are now putting value on authenticity as the next step up from organic and local, as part of the search “not just for unique foods, but also for a unique experience behind their consumption of the food”, Christie claims. It is essential that the industry connects products with their provenance in a way that makes it clear to the consumer, in a bid to teach them more about food.
“It is veryclear to me that today’s consumers want to know the story behind their food and the people who produced it,” says Christie. “That is why, in the US, we are encouraging more and more companies to tell the story of their commitment to providing safe and healthy produce - every bite, every time.We are also seeing more companies contracting with regional growers outside the traditional growing areas, as a way of connecting to the trend.”
But it is not always easy it is it to identify where produce is ‘supposed’ to come from or where it was originally or traditionally produced, especially now that production has gone global.
It is also possible that if businesses position themselves in favour of the historical and ‘authentic’, it could create contradictions when they want to innovate, but Prevor is convinced that this should not act as a barrier.
But the disadvantages of this marketing tactic appear to be few and far between. “I can’t think of any downsides for the consumer in search of what fresh tastes like - except potentially for those who do not understand that terms like ‘local’ or ‘organic’ is not a guarantee of freshness, or of safety,” says Christie.“Consumer perception of the benefits of local and organic is not always accurate. They need information so they can make both a logical and emotional choice.”
But with consumers cutting costs where they can and premium lines taking the hit, will the movement towards authenticity ever make its mark in the UK?
“There are always going to be people who have bought into organics or who shop for genuinely local produce, but these are particular interests - authenticity is something everyone wants,” says Prevor. “I don’t think there is a reason why consumers should pay more for this because it has no additional costs and it does not reduce yields - it is more about getting growers and suppliers to tell their story. Authenticity is about a way of presenting a product and showcasing its history and the competency of those who grow it.
“There has been some kick-back on the trend because of the economic situation and, if families are not in an financially strong situation, they will have to concentrate on price. But these things are cyclical and we have to be prepared for demand to come round.
“The biggest challenge is the low marketing budgets in the produce industry.”
But this has not stopped a number of marketing initiatives from taking the concept on board.
The Seasonal Berries campaign is a radical soft-fruit initiative to encourage consumers to eat British, Spanish and Chilean berries when they are at their best. The project, unveiled in May, forms an integrated year-round platform with endorsement from well-known chef Tom Aikens, in the latest move to secure the future growth of the category.
The UK industry is working with Spanish and Chilean partners, including Foods from Spain, Freshuelva and Asoex, to promote the concept of seasonality, without diluting the emotional relationship UK consumers have with soft fruit. The first phase of the project focused on the British soft-fruit season, followed in turn by autumn blackberries, Chilean blueberries and Spanish berries.
Bridget Bottomley, who overseas the campaign at PR agency Sputnik Communications, says the initiative uses the “emotional” connection consumers feel with the British berry season to encourage people to buy fruit in season, when it tastes best. “The focus on seasonality came about as the result of extensive qualitative research conducted early this year by British Summer Fruits (BSF),” she says. “A new strategy was then created to ensure the berries campaign was operating in line with media and consumer trends towards both seasonality and authenticity.
“We have successfully repositioned the campaign and kept it up to date with modern trends, enabling us to generate better, more on-message coverage.
“Focusing on health and superfoods has proven successful for us in the last few years, but we knew that the consumer and media attitude was shifting, and that the idea of seasonality was motivating to both groups. We knew we needed to re-launch the campaign to keep ahead of the trends to enable us to push the boundaries and continue growing the berry category.
“Activity has involved celebrating British strawberries, raspberries and blackberries at the start and height of season, and hosting events and media briefings to specifically communicate the importance of eating berries in season when they taste best.
“Consumers are interested in fresh produce that tastes good, wherever it is from. BSF found in its research groups that the biggest barrier to purchase was the perception that they might be let down by the taste of the fruit. They did, however, feel they could rely on British berries in season and that they would not disappoint.
“As far as authenticity and seasonality are concerned, the two are very closely linked and we believe can work together in our favour to promote both the seasonality of British berries and the authenticity of certain products that can be positively linked to specific regions to benefit the campaign as a whole,” she adds.
Further from home, the trend has shown more signs of taking hold. The South African stonefruit industry is to team up with the South African government to promote the country as the preferred source of plums in season and as a top tourist destination. The £300,000 equal joint venture will launch early next year and focus on plum arrivals from January to March, together with tourist promotions ahead of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
The plums will be sold with the slogan - Beautiful Country, Beautiful Fruit - under the South Africa: Alive with Possibility brand. Jasmine Harman, who presents Channel 4 show A Place in the Sun, will kick off the campaign with a launch event in London.
Stefan Conradie, product manager at the Stonefruit Joint Marketing Forum, says: “We have lost the identity of South African fruit. If you look in any retailer today, you will not see any exporter brands - if you look on the pack, there is the country of origin, but it is not clear.
“We realised we needed a platform to talk about South Africa, and we want to use fruit as a vehicle to communicate with consumers in other countries. To create an interesting story for the consumer, we decided to combine tourism with our product.
“We want to make the funding a statutory levy for the next four years, rather than voluntary, because we want more commitment and we want this to work,” he tells FPJ. “Our growers are starting to realise that communication is important, and that we have to do something to sell the product.
“This is the first time we have linked the fruit with where it is from. For us, it is really about starting the communication process with the consumer and how we can make the product interesting for them as well. South Africa has a lot to offer and it is a diverse and interesting country, so we want to put a more interesting story out there. We want to tell consumers about where the product has come from and what makes it different, to add value to the product offer.”
If the campaign shows promising results, it will be rolled out to other categories to maintain the presence of the initiative year round.
The movement towards authenticity could well be the next big trend to promote the fresh produce industry, both in the UK and further afield, especially at a time when there is so much attention on food and its production, as well as its price. An authentic marketing opportunity - whatever next?
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