Best quality, in season, year round, cheap, but fair, and chemical-free but plentiful. Sound familiar? Grocery retail has changed dramatically over the past couple of decades, and with it customer expectations as retailers seek to cater to every budget and ideal. Yet the past year has seen huge changes as economic and environmental drivers have impacted consumers’ values. FPJ commissioned England Marketing to find out what people really want now.

Local Values

Local and British is still important, with an increasing willingness to pay more for provenance. An overwhelming 81% of shoppers considered it important or very important that more fresh produce be grown in the UK. 3 in 5 people claimed they would even pay a small premium on their fruit and veg if that meant securing the long-term future of the British horticultural industry (56% would pay 2-5% more, and 25% said 6-10% more).

A Need to Know

Despite a desire to eat British, only 38% felt that supermarkets kept shoppers well informed as to what is in season when (which half of shoppers felt was very important information). Nearly two thirds of respondents also admitted that they threw away fruit and veg, mostly because it did not last as long as expected or because they bought more than needed, suggesting we would benefit from more information about shelf life, using old vegetables, and where buying less is better.

Not Fair

Word has got out that ‘supermarkets don’t treat their suppliers fairly’, with only 16% of respondents believing that retailers pay their suppliers a fair price for their fresh produce. Supermarket spokespeople responded to the survey by admitting that they had a responsibility to ensure that farmers can afford to invest in their business and so secure their future. However, they also argued that the supermarkets are easy ‘media fodder’ which encourages consumer distrust, and that consumers themselves are hypocritical since they also want the lowest prices. 

Hope for GM?

GM crops continue to be viewed with suspicion by shoppers, but it seems more people are now open to hear both sides of the argument – 45% would be happy to eat them if their safety was proved, with improved taste, quality and lower prices being the potential motivating factors behind choosing GM.

Money, money, money

Despite all their best intentions, shoppers still love a bargain, and 87% said that more promotions and offers would encourage them to buy more fruit and veg. Bring on the BOGOFs and 3 for £1.

FARMA is delighted to be hosting a farmers’ market at A Garden Party to Make a Difference; a 12 day festival from 8 -19 September in the historic gardens near Buckingham Palace. We are working with producers from Hampshire Farmers’ Markets, Milford Farmers’ Market, Moseley Farmers’ Market, Thames Valley Farmers’ Markets, and Tunbridge Wells’ Farmers’ Market, amongst others.

There are a final few spaces left on some days. If you attend or manage a certified farmers’ market and are interested in taking part, please contact Laura Waterton asap This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (final deadline is Friday morning, 3 September). Stands are £30 for the day, including your canopy and a table if you need it.

We'd love to see FARMA members as visitors to the event too. The admission price is £15pp, you can prebook on the website or pay on the day.  Our fingers are crossed for good weather - and we look forward to seeing everyone who can make it.
http://www.startgardenparty.co.uk

The London Branch of the Women's Food & Farming Union will be hosting Udder Consideration: The Great Milk Debate at 6pm on Tuesday 28 September.

The debate includes will be examining the recent safety controversy over cloned milk, the pasteurized vs. unpasteurized debate?  Bovine Growth Hormones, antibiotics ... (will my milk give me a real mustache?) 

A panel of experts will be to tackling all your questions and provide you with the real, indepth answers behind the media hype:

Dr. Judith Bryans - Director of The Dairy Council
Mr. Philip Ridley, London Chair, The Weston Price Foundation
Nick & Camilla Barnard - Owners, Rude Health
Andy Guy - Vice Chairman National Farmers Union Dairy Board

More details This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  

According to the Grocer, UK asparagus growers are looking back at a successful 2010, despite price pressures and the downturn.

Growers sold just under three million kilos during this year's season, up 27% year-on-year, to generate sales of £21.4m, up 22% [Kantar 12w/e 12 July].

Household penetration was also up to 16.2%, from 13.3% in 2009. Grower Paul Southall said the fact that penetration had increased from "under 3% less than a decade ago" showed consumer awareness had increased and shoppers understood local produce's superiority.

The board of Soil Association Certification Ltd (SACL) has appointed a former Foods Standards Agency (FSA) and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) employee as its new chief executive.

Steve McGrath has worked in regulation and inspection services. He has a wide and varied experience as a CEO, MD, and senior manager, in the private and public sectors, including British Gas, Group 4, HMRC and the Food Standards Agency (FSA), as well as in smaller start up service companies. He will start his new role 6 September.

Most recently he was CEO of the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS), where he spent four years on a major change programme to develop the organisation and integrate it into the FSA. This latter role has given him an understanding of the agricultural and food sectors, and an appetite for working to support sustainability and the organic sector.

SACL board chair Anna Bradley said: “Steve brings an extraordinary breadth of relevant skills to the role. He has in-depth experience of leading and improving customer service for a wide range of companies, as well as leading and shaping business planning and process improvement across several different organisations.”