THECOMMERCIALGREENHOUSEGROWER
•
JANUARY 2017
4
•
N
EWS
The fresh produce supply chain needs to take braver decisions
to get consumers tobuymore fruit and vegetables.
That was themessage from LeeAbbey, NFU adviser, whowas
speaking at the FoodMatters Live event lastmonth. He
challenged the supply chain tobemore brave by implementing
changes in stores and restaurants that enable and encourage
consumers to eatmore fresh produce. “It is timewe stopped
profiting from obesity,” he said.
“Confectionary is the thirdmost bought item in convenience
stores behindbread andmilk,” he explained. “But is this
because consumers are deliberately looking for it, or is it
because retailers have driven those purchases by putting it
right under their noses? I’m certain it is the latter. So now is
the time todrive purchases of fruit and vegby continually
putting it under consumers’ noses.”
Mr Abbey showedpictures of a typical retail store and
explainedwhy changes shouldbemade. “Consumers are
looking formeal solutions, so they need tobe presentedwith
the protein, potatoes and vegetables side by side. At the
absoluteminimum, retailers shouldput signs up all over the
store tempting consumers to have fruit, veg and saladswith
theirmeals anddirecting them to the appropriate aisles.”
Displaying a typical children’smenu in a pub chain, Mr Abbey
said “Where this particularly falls down is in offeringpotatoes or
chips or rice or salad. Why isn’t the salad automatically served
with the pizza andpasta? Andwhere is the veg? This
situation has to change.”
Mr Abbey told the packed room of the actions highlighted in
theNFU’s Fit for the Future report and called on everyone in
the room todeliver thosemessages to their contacts in the
supply chain. “I amdetermined todo everything I can tomake
a difference. Hopefully, everyone in this room feels the same
way,” he said.
‘Be brave’ fresh produce
supply chain told
Consumers prepared to pay
for quality says research
The author of a newguide to the principles of cropping under
protection, ThadyBarrett, will bewell known to generations of
studentswhopassed throughWrittleCollege, Essex, where he
taught commercial horticulture for 20 years.
Now his book
Polytunnels, greenhouses andprotective
cropping
, whichwas published inOctober, will be a useful
source of information for the next generation, for whom new
publications on this subject are few and far between.
The guide startswith the basics of greenhouse design and the
different claddings available, and the development of all the
types of plastic-clad structures that are now used. It then
describes greenhouse energy sources, the various aspects of
the greenhouse environment and itsmanagement, and the role
of a growing room.
Other sections address irrigation, growingmedia, hydroponics,
and fertilisers. The final two chapters look at pest anddisease
control and nursery hygiene.
Polytunnels, greenhouses andprotective cropping, a guide to
growing techniques
is publishedby TheCrowoodPress and
costs £22.50.
Supermarket purchases of
fruit and vegetables are
important to consumers, so
much so that a third of
shopperswould potentially
consider switching stores if
they hadn’t been able to find
the fruit and vegetables they
were looking for, according to
recent research
commissioned by supply
management specialists,
iTradeNetwork.
Conducted by IGD Europe,
the research, which revealed
the link between fresh
produce departments and
customer loyalty, also found
that customers purchasing
fresh fruit and vegetables
weremore likely to impulse
buy-16% compared to
alcohol-11%. It also said that
customers are shopping
more than ever-26 times a
A newbusiness, Agronomex, has set up the country’s first
marketplace for unwanted, unclassified and unsoldproduce
and is searching for UK growers to join its network.
Built around the auctionmodel, Agronomex, gives growers the
opportunity to advertise their unsoldproduce aswell as give
foodprofessionals the opportunity topublish their sourcing
needs. ‘The platform is away of linking suppliers andbuyers to
facilitate direct trade andminimisewaste in the supply chain,’
said the company.
“There are a number of reasonswhy growers are left with
excess crop, whether that be stringentmarketing standards,
changes to forecasts, or fluctuations in demand, and this can
lead to a significant volume of edible produce not reaching its
intendedmarket. Without a suitable alternativemarket,
growers can suffer huge losses,” said company founder
PascaleMartin.
The auction process enables sellers to set the askingprice as
well as having the option on the day of the auction to select the
‘buy now’ statuswhich halts the sale and nomore bids are
accepted. Sellers are guaranteedpayment within 3-5working
days once the trade has been settled. Buyers are also allowed
to initiate the trade and search for the produce they need and
be contacteddirect by interested sellers. Agronomex also
manages the logistics process, including invoicing, goods
collection anddeliveries.
Unwanted produce network
launched
month on average-with one
of themain reasons being
that theywanted to get the
freshest products.
Approximately 36% of those
surveyed said theywould
consider shopping elsewhere
in the future if they couldn’t
get the fresh fruit and
vegetables that they intended
to buy.
Rhian Thomas, Shopper
Insight Manager at IGD, says:
“Over half of the fresh
produce shoppers that we
surveyed agreed that it is
sometimesworth paying a
little extra to get higher
quality. An increased focus
on quality in-store could
therefore help to delight
shoppers and drive increased
engagement in these
categories.”
New guide to protective cropping
