Sainsbury’s and Waitrose will be the first multiples to offer the most viable varieties of English organic apples.
Adrian Barlow chief executive of English Apples & Pears Ltd told delegates at the Horticulture in Focus 2005 conference the UK organic apple sector was growing thanks to a project looking into the development of increasingly disease-resistant varieties.
The project sponsored by LINK Collaborative Research had commenced with 127 possible varieties but this had been reduced to six strong contenders for commercial production.
Barlow said: “The fact that they are organic is not enough, they have to be in accordance with consumer preferences.”
The new varieties will be rolled out in Sainsbury’s and Waitrose in late summer and will likely be renamed to make them sound more attractive to the British public.
“This will mean that these retailers will have the opportunity to develop ahead of the market,” said Barlow.
Increasing the profile of organic apples will eventually increase the products' share of the overall apple market. Barlow said that the organic sector represents nine per cent of all apple sales in the UK.
No comments yet