The task is made doubly difficult because of the proliferation of quality standards and prices available to consumers.

Ward has been at the forefront of spreading the message for several years, and Snaith's transport fleet still carries the original 5-a-day logo developed by the Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Information Bureau. The cost of this, he revealed, had been part paid for by EU funding because Snaith Salads qualified as a producer organisation.

Alas, Ward opined, no one else followed this example although in his opinion it would have helped boost consumption.

These days are past, but the industry is awaiting the arrival of the new DoH logo.

Ward took some consolation from this, although he feared the fresh 'message might get lost as the logo is available to processed products'.

Yet in broad terms Ward is optimistic. 'The Chancellor Gordon Brown has done more for the industry in two years than anyone else,' he said, referring to the £100 million being spent on creating an awareness of a healthy diet in which fruit and vegetables play a major part.

He hopes that the time will come when more UK products could be included in the Fruit for Schools project, as carrots and tomatoes had been included in the distribution scheme following lobbying efforts by the industry.

And when it comes to spreading the generic message, more specifically, he told growers to seek out the 86 primary care trusts which have been given £10m over the next two years to promote fresh produce usage.

Ward said: 'Go and see them and help them with their objective.'

Topics