An amazing 51 per cent still believe that the decades-old advice to top themselves up with that daily dose of apple is the best remedy to stay out of their local surgery. And the research threw up more encouraging news for the apple marketing industry.
More than three quarters (77 per cent) of Britons often or occasionally eat apples. When asked to choose, some 28 per cent of Britons prefer red apples, 36 per cent prefer green, and 35 per cent claimed to like both equally.
Red apples are preferred over green in Scotland (35 per cent versus 31 per cent).
Taste (60 per cent) followed by sweetness (42 per cent) and crispness (41 per cent) are the most important purchasing factors among Britons who buy red apples. Colour (27 per cent) and price (25 per cent) were next on the list.
Kris Marceca, executive director of the USAEC, based in Washington DC, represents East Coast, Michigan and California growers, and commissioned the research in order to “get a clearer picture of the British apple market and to identify new sales opportunities for the American red apple varieties”.
She is in the UK with Jim Allen, president of the New York Apple Association, at the start of a European tour which includes visits to supermarket buyers and to the Fruit Logistica in Berlin.
Marceca says: “It has been several years since we last looked at the British market in some detail, and we felt that in view of the advances being made by the key retailers and changing demands of consumers, it was time for another study.
“The research confirms much about our knowledge of British apple purchasing patterns and consumer preferences, but importantly, it highlights the changes that have occurred during the intervening years.
“Using the new data, we are now able to put strategies in place that will allow us to develop our UK sales at an even higher rate than before.”
“We now know which people in different parts of the country are most likely to buy our apples and can confirm that our specialist varieties, such as Empire, are becoming increasingly in demand. We also know the degree of fruit colour preferences, and what the consumers want.”
The East Coast growers and shippers have been exporting their principally red apples to the UK for decades. The main varieties are Empire, McIntosh and Red Delicious and they provide a strong “red” presence in UK supermarket fruit displays. They also tick the boxes of the British requirement for, “taste, sweetness and crispness” in red apples, Marceca says.
USAEC European director Neil Gordon, of NMG Consulting, says the results of the research are interesting because they confirm the continued British belief in the health benefits of eating red apples, and give a clear indication of purchasing priorities.
“The East Coast growers and packers are spending heavily on both medical research and technology in order to spell out the health benefits and improve the quality of the crops and storage.”
“The old adage, ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away,’ has never been more true,” says Gordon.
“We know that from past experience, when our red apples arrive they have a considerable impact, and by matching their attractive in-store displays with a variety of sales promotions and tastings we have been able to build greater awareness among British consumers.”
A number of in-store promotions have been set up and there will also be a series of tastings, starting next month.
The first shipments of US 2006 Empires and McIntoshes arrived last autumn and the fruit will continue to be available until next summer. When the harvest began, Jim Allen of the New York Apple Association said this year is a “vintage” crop of Empire apples.
“Now well into the season, size, colour and sugar levels are all fantastic,” Allen confirms. “Empires are crunchy and eating better than ever.”
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