Consumer research is now part and parcel of strategic produce marketing, but in the last few weeks I have had a feeling that the sales information arriving weekly in the industry is being studied more closely than ever before.

Winning retail share or getting increased orders may still be the ultimate goal, but at the moment many must be wondering at what cost.

Several weeks of baking temperatures have provided the UK with the opportunity to feast on a Mediterranean diet. Quality has generally been excellent, with continuity uninterrupted for many weeks and competitive seasons dovetailing neatly together.

Public demand has been sharpened beyond the weekend sales peak, with the popular press filled with substantial ads showing most fruits heavily discounted. This bonanza has been backed up in many cases with TV commercials extolling everything from taste and health to enjoyment.

On the surface such a weight of support advertising and recipes must be very good news for the fruit industry. After all it was not that long ago when multiples were chided by producers for not pulling their weight - despite the fact that they themselves were having to contribute towards the cost.

But the reality at present, it seems, is that at a time when everyone’s fresh produce sections are groaning under the weight of displays, an all out price war is taking place.

What is a concern is that beyond the current razzmatazz which has created a shoppers’ paradise, there is a far more serious question. Is the industry becoming similar to the United States, where crops that reach their seasonal peaks will automatically be discounted regardless of the fact that public demand remains naturally strong?

If this proves to be the case because consumers have enjoyed such a “value for money” cornucopia, they may also fall into the long-term habit of expecting to pay less when a sense of normality returns. If this happens it will give the already downward price spiral another turn.

There is obviously no immediate solution to this potential problem, except perhaps to say that the strong will become stronger and the weak weaker.

The recently published English Farming & Food Partnerships report backed by DEFRA has drawn attention to what it believes is a weakness in marketing through the lack of collaboration between sectors.

This may well be true when it comes to logistics and communication, but the one area which is sacrosanct to individual suppliers, whatever their size, is that price negotiations with retail customers is a private area where no-one else may go.

That too is not surprising as it is the hinge on the door where the path behind leads to profitability.

David Shapley is a horticultural journalist and former editor of FPJ.