7
F
News
F
TheN
fu
has said that warnings of a foodprice increase this
year add gravitas to the need for strong, secure and viable
domestic foodproduction. Leading retail commentators have
suggested that the nation’s reliance on imported food,
combinedwith the low value of sterling, will result in higher
foodprices.
Meurig
r
aymond, N
fu
President, said that thesewarnings
demonstrate the danger of being increasingly reliant on
imported foods. “The nation’s self-sufficiency in food is falling.
w
hilst we could not andwould not want tobe entirely self-
sufficient, [these] warnings demonstrate the potential impacts
of becomingmore andmore reliant on the rest of theworld to
feed us, especially in these times of volatility. Britain currently
produces 61% of the food it needs to feed itself. Some
sectors, like horticulture, aremuchworse.
“Not only doBritain’s farmers play a vital role in feeding the
nation, British farming can be the solution to somany other
issues after Brexit.
f
arming is the bedrock of the
u
K’s largest
manufacturing industry - food anddrink - which isworth £108
billion and employs 3.9million people. Alongwith food self-
sufficiency, the economic importance of the farming sector and
its role as a key employer iswhywe have to ensure that British
food and farming has a viable and resilient future.
o
ur focus
now is tomake sure retailers, food service [providers] and food
processors, aswell asMPs and shoppers, backBritish
farming.”
T
he
frui
TG
rower
•
JAN
u
A
r
Y 2017
w
arnings of foodprice increases underline importance of
British foodproduction
Univeg set to change perceptions of UK yellow apples withOpal
®
DeSangosse appoints new
u
K technical manager
u
niveg is investing in a brandmarketing campaign for the
unique yellow apple
o
pal®, capitalising on awider retailer focus
on
u
Kproduce.
Themulti-channel campaignwith the primary objective of
changing existingperceptions of yellow appleswill launchwith
the creative proposition, ‘
h
ello, Yellow’ devisedby integrated
agency Kindred. Activitywill focus on getting the product into
the hands of consumers via national sampling at key retailer
locations nationwide.
u
nlike its yellow apple counterparts,
o
pal® has a firm and juicy texture and the perfect balance of
sweetness and acidity.
Nationwide samplingwill be supportedby social channels and
P
r
towiden reach anddrive conversation about this unique
product. Consumerswill be encouraged to try unique pairings,
such as
o
pal® and chocolate, and
o
pal®with pulledpork, and
tobrighten up recipes such as cheeseboards anddesserts.
Todate,
u
niveg has secured listings at over 1500outlets
nationwide including
w
aitrose, Morrison’s, Tesco, Co-op, Asda
andAldi fromNovember toMarch.
o
pal®plantations have been
established inNorfolk,
h
ampshire,
h
erefordshire,
e
ssex and
Kent, with 130,000 trees planted.
o
pal is a distinctive yellow applewith an attractive blush and
russeted stem ‘halo’.
u
nlike itsGoldenDelicious cousin,
o
pal®
combines a firmbut juicy texture and a unique flavour; a perfect
balance of sweetness and aciditymaking it ideal for savoury
pairings andpuddings.
The key points that differentiate
o
pal® fromother apple
varieties are:
• A unique crunch and flavour
•
u
K-grown
• A unique appearance
• Significantly less susceptible tobruising
DeSangosse, a
e
uropean leader inmolluscicides,
micronutrients and spray-enhancers based near Newmarket,
Suffolk, has appointed Jon
w
illiams as technical manager. Jon
took up the role in January towork alongside the technical
director before succeeding to the role permanently at the end of
2018.
As technical manager, Jonwill be central to supporting new
product registration through the design and commissioning of
field and laboratory trials requiredby
u
K and
eu
regulators.
h
e
will alsobe a first point of contact for
u
K customers needing
product advice and technical support.
Jon joinsDeSangosse fromGreenvaleAPwhere he has
served as import technical manager with responsibility for
ensuring that the company’s overseas growers suppliedproduct
to the expectedquality and volume in accordancewith customer
specifications. Before joiningGreenvaleAP, Jon held a series of
technical positionswithSyngenta and its predecessor
companies.
DeSangossemanagingdirector, DavidCameron, welcomed
Jon’s appointment: “Jon brings valuable technical expertise and
experience toDeSangosse andwill be an asset to the company
andour customers.
h
is experience in newproduct development
and, more recently, in liaisingwithmultiple retailers and theAnimal
andPlant
h
ealthAgency (AP
h
A) will be invaluable to us aswe
seek to introducemore innovative solutions to themarket.”
Jon studied at
r
eading
u
niversitywhere he gained aBSc
(
h
ons) inSoil Science and at
h
arper Adamswhere he received a
post-graduate diploma in cropprotection.
