A panic has spread across the vegetable production base this season, with growers left wondering whether they will have enough water to get through the season now that supplies have run low following a hot, dry spell in key production areas.
This is set against the context of a season that is not traditionally associated with vegetables and this year’s heatwaves, the first real run of glorious sun for a few years, has pushed back sales more than in recent years.
“Supply across all lines has not been how it would normally be, but I wouldn’t say it has been sporadic,” says Charlotte Falkingham, founder of regional supplier From My Farm. “At the same time, the very hot summer means that sales are down on a lot of lines, with consumers instead going for fruit and salads. Sales have been lower than what they would normally be, but we are looking forward to the autumn, when demand will rise and the likes of butternut squash and the main roots crops will come into their own.
“Supermarkets are still thinking along the lines of value,” she continues. “There has been talk of things getting better, but I am not sure that we are seeing that. We are seeing the continuation of strong promotions and emphasis on value lines.”
Spring supplies did not get off to the best start back in April and May, especially when the delay to the asparagus season meant that the category missed out on vital publicity. Sweetcorn is expected to start this week, but without enough water it is feared that the husks will dehydrate quickly. The majority of lines that had been set to hit the market in June came on a week late, while the likes of cauliflower continues to make up a volatile line that is very susceptible to any changes in the weather.
“Asparagus sales were not as good as last year,” says Charlotte Falkingham, founder of From My Farm. “There needed to be a lot of PR and press coverage, but the supply base was not pushing it because it didn’t have the volumes there. There wasn’t as much British asparagus and it wasn’t as well promoted as usual.
“Across the board, the freezing winter meant that all field vegetable crops were really hard hit. They got off to a slow start, with emergence pretty slow and vegetables generally coming on stream later this year. More lately, we have had no rain.
“This means that after a cold spring and late emergence, we are now having to irrigate like mad. This takes a lot of time and effort, but now we have got to the situation where reservoirs are running very low. A lot of growers are wondering whether they will have enough water, without any rain to speak of.”
Across the category, it is clear that growers and suppliers have their work cut out to promote vegetables when the sun shines.
One category that has fared better than some this year is home-grown carrots, which came on stream amid a burst of fanfare. A midnight carrot harvest featured on the BBC’s The One Show last Friday, as just one of the ways in which the British Carrot Growers’ Association PR campaign has marked the start of the new season. At the same time, more than 100 articles have appeared in both the consumer and trade press and demand is expected to take off when the weather changes.
George Rivers, chairman of the British Carrot Growers’ Association’s PR committee, claims the last three months have been “pretty much on target” and the new season is shaping up well.
However, he stresses that while returns are “acceptable”, they are “under increasing pressure due to the unexpectedly high irrigation costs thanks to the continuing hot weather”.
“There are two main issues that could cause concern for carrot growers,” he points out. “One is the ongoing cost of irrigation if the hot weather continues, as many of us are having to irrigate more than was originally budgeted for. The other is the cost of straw needed to bed the carrots down for the winter, which looks set to rise due to supply shortages again caused by the hot weather.
“For us, on our farm, the carrot season started perhaps a day or two later than last year, but this will vary around the country depending on the rate of rainfall.
“It is difficult to say what volumes will be like this year, although overall I expect UK volumes to be stable. In some areas of the country, there have been good rates of rainfall while in others, including the big carrot-producing region of East Anglia, there has been very little. This means that the larger carrot-producing areas might be slightly down year on year, but the yield in smaller producing areas might be slightly up and so the overall volume is balanced out.
“We actually had excellent conditions for crop establishment in the early part of the year, despite the very cold winter. Of course, in contrast, the summer has been very hot and dry in many areas of the country, resulting in the need for many of us to irrigate more than usual.”
A TRIUMPH FOR TENDERSTEM
A key piece of new research from Warwick University’s HRI has suggested that Tenderstem broccoli is better for you than the conventional brassica offer, giving the sub-category a window of opportunity. Anna Sbuttoni reports.
Tenderstem broccoli has rubberstamped its credentials with research that shows the variety to be nutritionally superior and more tender, easier to prepare and cook than other varieties on the market today.
The findings could help to boost sales, which have already shown a 36 per cent increase in the first three months of this year, compared with the same period last year.
The research, undertaken between March 2009 and April 2010, compared a range of brassicas, including different varieties of broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage, which were analysed by scientists and scored for nutrient content, in particular the antioxidant components. At the same time, the scientists specifically tested the broccoli varieties for their so-called “tenderness”.
The results show that broccoli varieties overall scored as the most nutrient-rich of the brassicas and are a powerhouse of disease-fighting nutrients, such as glucosinolates, which have been linked to cancer prevention, as well as vitamin C, carotenoids and folic acid.
Tenderstem was shown to contain the highest levels of “beneficial glucosinolates” compared to the other broccoli or brassicas and, in particular, very high levels of glucoraphinin, which has been highlighted to have a specific action for reducing the risk of cancer.
The variety was found to contain twice the vitamin C content of the equivalent fresh weight of oranges, with a higher concentration of vitamin C than other types of broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. No other type of broccoli had higher levels of carotenoids than Tenderstem and the variety was found to contain one of the highest levels of folic acid.
Tenderstem broccoli was proven to be the most tender variety of broccoli, outperforming other long stemmed and traditional varieties.
Guy Barker, the research leader at Warwick University’s HRI, said: “The most significant factor in this research is that Tenderstem broccoli is extremely nutrient-rich and so tender that it needs very little preparation and can be eaten raw or very lightly cooked, so requiring less cooking than any other form of broccoli and therefore preserving the most essential health-providing nutrients.”
The researchers highlighted the importance of how vegetables are stored, prepared and cooked to retain nutrients, claiming that in order to optimise and retain as many nutrients as possible, it is important to minimise the cooking process and store the vegetables in a cool environment.
Independent nutritionist Dr Carrie Ruxton said: “The nutrient profile of Tenderstem broccoli is excellent, as shown by the high levels of glucosinolates, vitamin C, folic acid and carotenoids.
“I welcome this research as it highlights the benefits of broccoli.”
Tenderstem broccoli licencees have been briefed on the research and will work with their retailer partners to identify how best to highlight the information to inform and educate consumers about the benefits of the variety in the future.
Andy Macdonald, managing director of Coregeo, the master licensor for Tenderstem broccoli in the UK, said: “This powerful piece of research confirms the already strong credentials of Tenderstem broccoli and we look forward to working with our licensees and retailers to maximise this far-reaching study to educate and excite the consumer about the health and taste benefits of eating Tenderstem broccoli.”
The UK season for Tenderstem broccoli started in early June and will run through the autumn until late November. Across the UK, Tenderstem production is expanding dramatically this year to deliver higher volumes of home-grown crop to consumers.
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