Making generalisations across the entire vegetable category is a risky business, but there is little doubt that some trends are transcending products.
The category as a whole has seen a half a billion pound injection of value after a 10.5 per cent increase in the last year [Kantar Worldpanel, 52 w/e 12 May], but sales volumes are only up by 0.7 per cent.
There are obviously significant variations from product to product, but one overriding trend has been for a reduction in the volume on deal, which is down by 15.4 per cent, according to Kantar analyst Avneet Chana.
The weather has hit supply across a range of lines over the past year, meaning retailers have had less product available with which to run promotions.
While there has been good news in terms of shoppers buying vegetables more often, this is offset by the fact that basket sizes are smaller as consumers switch to more top-up shopping.
Sales of vegetables in recent weeks have been boosted by the cold weather as consumers have delayed switching over to summery salads. Andrew Ovens, Produce World marketing director, explains: “The unseasonably cold weather of the spring has seen consumer demand remain strong, as households continued to eat their favourite winter dinner meals that include vegetables.”
As far as production is concerned, brassica growers are reporting a more positive picture than appeared several weeks ago, with conditions having come together to produce a buoyant crop. One agronomist said: “Generally things are looking better now than they have done. We had a very cold spring and March in particular was one of worst months in terms of light levels for several years.
“Growing conditions have been quite behind but in the last fortnight we have seen real differences in the crop.”
Broccoli is running about three weeks late and will start about 15 June, the agronomist says. Summer cauliflower should start this week, when it would usually begin about 21 May. “We will therefore have a truncated marketing period – we have lost two to three weeks at the start of the season and we won’t get that time back. This will give us a lump in production in late June or early July.”
And there have been some side benefits to the weather, he adds. “Pest levels are low thanks to the poor winter with dull, wet conditions. Aphids are non-existent when we would usually see them in June and like the crops, root fly has been running two to three
weeks late.”
Across other lines, late arrivals as a result of the weather are proving the norm. UK courgettes began coming on stream this week, a little later than normal, but crop quality and volumes are expected to be good as a result of the slower growing conditions.
Sweetcorn, grown under cover, is on track to start in mid-July and hit full volumes by the end of July, growers report, but asparagus volumes have been badly affected by the conditions and the crop is late.
“The knock-on effect of higher input costs for growers is driving food inflation across the board and people are being wiser in how they shop,” one grower explains. “Rather than buying big baskets and wasting produce they are buying what they need and eating fresher. This is helping shorter shelf-life vegetables such as broccoli and courgettes and products at the premium end such as Tenderstem broccoli or asparagus.”
Meanwhile carrot growers say the new season is running around two to three weeks late, while parsnips have also been delayed, however any disappointment over that has been offset by a prolonged period of sales of old-season veg as a result of the cool weather (see pages 26-27).
There’s no doubt the weather is having a significant impact both on supply and demand in the vegetable category, but with longer buy-in due to cold weather, the situation looks set to remain a mixed bag.
BATTLING FOR BRASSICA
A new campaign aims to reinvigorate interest in the brassica category by engaging and educating the public. Michael Barker finds out more
Kicking off from July, a three-year consumer educational campaign will aim to boost understanding and sales of brassicas in Britain.
The promotional push is being run by the Brassica Growers Association, which has secured HDC funding. And there are plans to boost the campaign’s warchest with the addition of EU cash via the Rural Payments Agency, with an application currently in the process of being submitted.
Brassicas have suffered with something of an image problem in recent years, with the vegetables losing favour in comparison with more trendy lines in the eyes of the public. However the new campaign, which builds on the existing Love Your Greens positioning, aims to change
all that.
Marketing agency The Little Big Voice has been appointed to spearhead the three-year initiative, with new activity targeting mums, highlighting the benefits of brassicas and explaining how they can be incorporated into everyday diets. The BGA will also actively look to engage with young people by driving awareness through schools and existing educational initiatives such as FACE.
One of the more innovative tranches to the campaign will be the launch of an online Village Fete, which aims to encourage people across the UK to visit the website and submit their growing efforts, which are then judged by a panel with prizes up for grabs. The site will also host webinars, blogs and
masterclasses.
Other developments include a revamped Love Your Greens website, which will act as the main information portal and allow consumers and media to find out more information about the various brassicas. Digital and social media activity, as well as consumer and trade-focused PR, will back the push.
BGA chairman Matthew Rawson said: “We are delighted to have secured the funds to promote the benefits of brassica. It’s a fantastic boost to our industry and will give us a great opportunity to educate and in turn grow category sales. We are vey grateful to the HDC for their support in helping us deliver this message.”
Little Big Voice MD Jonathan Corbett added that the campaign aimed to reverse the decline in brassica sales by “reigniting consumer interest” in the category. “The campaign will highlight the many benefits of eating brassica and will get people excited about putting broccoli, cabbage, sprouts, turnips and cauliflower on their plates again,” he said.
“We wanted to create something a little bit different and to target a wide range of consumers – not just the foodie. Brassica is one of the most important yet underrated staples of the UK shopping basket. We want to educate existing shoppers on how to get the best from their purchases while introducing new consumers, both young and old, to the produce.”
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