Speaking at a lettuce conference last week, Jonathan Tremayne (pictured) – marketing director of multi-million-pound salad distributor G's Marketing and chairman of the British Iceberg Growers Association (BIGA) – told delegates that the sector's biggest hurdle was to meet consumer demands and ensure a fair share of their spend returned to producers. He added that this was against a backdrop of ever-rising production costs and increased competition.

'Quality, safety, availability, continuity of supply and value for money are demanded,' he said. '[Meanwhile] we are contending with increased packaging costs, lower prices, cheap foreign imports, the most expensive labour in Europe and unpredictability of the weather.' However, the lettuce chief brushed aside defeatism, and told the 75-strong audience of growers and horticultural advisors that it was important to see such challenges as opportunities, and take a pro-active stance.

'To produce food more cheaply than we [G's Marketing] did ten years ago, we now use fewer chemicals and have adopted improved farming practices,' said Tremayne.

'We have invested in our core strengths – in particular prepared salads – and have expanded production to increase efficiency of production.

'It's now vital we market ourselves effectively to promote the health benefits of our produce and stimulate demand.' He added that BIGA had recently changed its strategy to become more pro-active in its marketing, and that the organisation planned to change its name to the Lettuce Producers Association so as to incorporate all lettuce growers.

The one-day conference took place on February 20 in Peterborough, and was organised by biological-control business Certis – formerly Hortichem.

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