British tomato growers must achieve a closer understanding of consumers' requirements in order to, at the very least, retain their market share in the face of increasing overseas competition, according to Mary Bosley, technical director at Wight Salads.
Speaking at the Tomato Growers Association conference in Coventry, she said that historically, imports have filled gaps around the British season, but now the "gap" lasts year round.
She told delegates: "Consumer insight is fundamental to the success of the industry." Wight Salads is already moving along this path using discussion groups and tastings which Bosley said have allowed the development of new lines and the retention of parity in discussions with multiple customers.
"Don't sit around waiting for orders and directions from the retailers," she advised fellow supermarket suppliers. "We must be pro-active."
With multiples working on fixed margins, the industry is often faced with the conundrum of how to rationalise quality against price. "One route is to develop unique products," said Bosley.
However this is not a simple equation because retailers want consistent availability. "If we do not succeed there are serious penalties where the cost of a mistake can almost be too big to bear," she said.
As part of the need to upgrade awareness of British fruit, Bosley also feels that more can be done to capitalise on the various environmental support logos which were appearing on packaging, and resolve what she called mixed messages coming from organisations such as the Soil Association and Food Standards Agency.
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