English apples could be on the shelves 12 months of the year within the next decade.
That is the view of English Apples & Pears’ chief executive Adrian Barlow, who believes changes in attitude and technology have paved, and will continue to pave, the way to such a development.
Barlow relayed his vision to those gathered at the English Apples & Pears’ season launch dinner on Tuesday, including growers who, despite suffering the coldest spring for 50 years, are now experiencing their latest season since 1985.
He said: “The number of changes that have taken place in recent years shows the potential for certain varieties to be on the shelves for 12 months of the year.
“Go back ten years, and it was the case that retailers felt there was a demarcation in the European – including the UK –and Southern Hemisphere seasons. Mid-August to early April was seen as the European season, followed by the Southern Hemisphere, but that attitude has now changed completely.”
Barlow said that this is partly because retailers are aware of the upsurge in demand for locally-grown produce, a cause which he believes has been helped by good PR, and also the need to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases – something which sourcing fresh produce from within the UK would help.
Another key factor that has shaped Barlow’s prediction is the constant evolution of cold-store technology, and the ever-improving knowledge about apples and growing conditions.
Barlow said: “These help maintain the quality and quantity of the fruit, and we find the new varieties, in particular, store well. At the turn of the century, the advice was: ‘don’t store English Gala beyond the end of January.’ But with the introduction of materials like Smart Fresh, longer apple storage has been made possible.
“We have already seen an English Gala batch stored for a period up to June. Whether we take them beyond July is another thing, but the likes of Jazz and Cameo, they store very well.”
He added: “Only growers who have got really good stores and are picking to sell for a long period will treat their crops accordingly, but having English apples on the shelves for 12 months of the year is possible.”
Nevertheless, Barlow said it is “critical” that English apples that appear on shop shelves at any time of the year must be imbued with high quality both taste and visual-wise.
Barlow also stressed that there was a need for a continued increase in the production of English apples – something not helped last year when the crop was 25 per cent down due to bad weather, and with this year’s crop “not as huge as we expected”.
The next step towards the ‘year-round’ goal is to produce a sufficient number of apples to achieve a market share between September and the beginning of April of 60 per cent. According to Barlow, that is a volume of apples that would then necessitate growers to look at selling in the summer.
Ali Capper, a Worcestershire-based grower who sits on the NFU’s horticultural board, also wants to see a boost in volumes between September and April.
She believes it takes priority over getting British apples on the shelves year-round – something she thinks may not be fully appreciated by consumers, who are not aware of just how efficient and intelligent storage technology now is.
Capper said: “The feasibility of having British apples on the shelves for 12 months of the year is coming, but it is not here yet. I think there is more of a desire from growers to see more British apples on the shelves for the eight or nine-month supply chain first.
“To get greater coverage in this window, though, we need to see a greater commitment and a longer-term view from supermarkets to supporting production. You would then need a combination of existing growers and new entrants coming in, but there is land available.”
Barlow, concluded: “Multiples have said to me, ‘English apples on the shelves is something we want, and something the consumers want’. But it is essential that the apple lives up to its reputation as the finest in the world, and we must not be tempted to put sub-standard products on our shelves.”
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