Let’s get in our tardis and go back in time a little. Two years ago, the Catalan town of Perpignan hosted the EGEA conference, a grand mass of scientists sharing information and opinions on how to fight obesity and promoting healthier ways of eating and living.

The scientists told their captive audience how important it was for France to increase its consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables, especially in areas where consumption was particularly low for financial, social or educational reasons.

Part of this work was backed up completely by a recent white paper emanating from the Brussels corridors. And the French government acted too, structuring an “Accessibility Programme”, the aim of which was to subsidise activities that bring consumers closer to fresh produce. The proviso being that the activities had to be proposed by both a company within the industry and a technical or scientific body.

Back in the tardis. Now where are we? Two years down the line, the fresh produce sector is not entirely happy with what it sees. Although most of the activities proposed to the ministry of agriculture have received grants, the agro-food nature of these projects often jeopardises the traditional values of fresh produce - freshness, taste, and benefits for human health, which after all were meant to be the focal point of the exercise.

A current TV ad in France tells viewers that a pot of processed fruit compote equals a fresh apple dietetically speaking. Producers and wholesalers feel that the USPs of their wares are largely misunderstood by consumers. But, on the other hand, the public purse was opened to all - and as long as the activities carried out fit within government guidelines, who can be blamed?

The industry is not sitting on its hands. Trade association Interfel has created an ad-hoc committee to develop consumers’ access to fresh produce. It will analyse the concepts that the industry has in mind for public funding and help to ensure they fit with the authorities’ demands.

The interesting thing is the four criteria selected by the committee: price perception; price fluctuation; differentiation between price and value; and proximity. The economic factors are clearly underlined and as price is often the cause of fighting within the family unit, maybe this will provide some peace.

And at last the fresh sector gets a real lobbying tool - in front of the agro-food companies - in the “Accessibility Programme” arena.