There have always been rumours and counter rumours in this industry. I suppose it goes with living in a world where buyers and sellers co-exist at various levels of understanding, so initially I discounted the rumblings that recently started to sound across virtually every sector and covering far more than a single product or company.

Usually these noises fade away in a week or so, and often turn out to be localised. But in this instance they have got louder to the point where I get the feeling that for those involved, it must be like living in Pompeii, looking up at Vesuvius, and wondering if and when it is going to explode.

The criteria behind the rumour at least are more easily established. Retailing and distribution continue to be all about price-cutting, whatever euphemisms are used, and stripping out unnecessary costs in the distribution chain. Hardly a new thought, for this has increasingly preoccupied supermarkets as competition has increased and they are fewer and larger in number.

Add the evidence that Asda is by all accounts still grafting on the full international weight of Wal-Mart to its approach to UK retailing, the position with Safeway yet to be realised, and reports that Sainsbury's had stirred the interest of a US take-over, and the whisperings are gaining more credence. Any fall-out can be expected to stretch the concept of category management to a new dimension, and probably set growers and distributors on yet another heavy investment path.

Meanwhile, where it is easier to make a judgement based on facts and figures is the take-up of the Department of Health's (DOH) 5-a-Day logo. A request that more growers might join the scheme was made at a conference session at last month's National Fruit Show. So to date how many companies are involved? The information from a friendly press office indicates that there is still quite a long way to go. Up to the beginning of October, 247 licences had been issued. Until this point I had always believed that fruit and vegetable producers did not have to pay the £100-one-off fee, but apparently it is necessary if produce is pre-packed. That should not put people off too much, but a list of the runners and riders shows that the majority on the list outside the trade itself are a mix of health trusts (119); local authorities (14), and 14 suppliers to the national school fruit scheme, which I assume have to join up. If my maths are right that represents about 60 percent of the converted. Meanwhile, only four retailers have signed up with a dozen or so farm shops, and about the same number of growers, marketeers and distributors. The rest are in a range of food products outside my remit. The DOH is confident that more will join. It will be interesting to see the figures in six months time.