Founder and chairman of Vitacress Malcolm Isaac has been awarded an MBE in Her Majesty the Queen's New Year honour's list.
Widely recognised as a pioneer in the field of prepared salads, Isaac receives the honour for services to the fresh produce industry and to horticultural research.
Vitacress Salads, as the company is now known, released the following statement:
"Malcolm Isaac formed Hampshire Watercress Limited in 1950 with watercress beds near Alresford, Hampshire. The Company changed its name to Vitacress Salads Limited in 1992.
Through tireless commitment to an all the year round provision of high quality fresh produce to an initially under-developed market, Malcolm has built a business turning over more than £70 million per annum and employing over 1,000 staff. He draws product from Vitacress controlled farms in five different countries to supply that 12 month need from the customers. The focus of his integrated growing and packing business is to ensure the quality and supply of these perishable items. All of this underpins his UK base, for without that continuous supply the UK operation would not be viable.
"He has created Vitacress subsidiaries in Portugal, Spain and Kenya, enhanced by strategic alliances in the US to ensure year round supplies thus maintaining the market share so as to maximise sales from UK farms during their seasons. This was in no small part made possible by his pioneering use of vacuum chilling and total commitment to cold chain distribution.
"Malcolm Isaac pioneered the introduction of watercress to supermarkets in the 1970s, transforming a cottage industry into a multi national business. "Through his sole efforts, watercress consumption in the UK now exceeds over 50 million packs per annum. He has brought about a significant contribution to the national diet as watercress is not only the most nutritious leafy vegetable known, but recent scientific research has suggested it is also one of the most potent cancer fighting foods. Indeed, it is Vitacress that has pioneered a great deal of the research that has led to the recognition of the truly unique anti-cancer properties of watercress.
"The leading UK multiple retailers recognise that it was Malcolm Isaac's pioneering introduction of washed and ready to eat, pre-packed, watercress to their shelves that effectively created what is now a £300m per annum and fast growing prepared leafy salads category. "Again, this category now provides employment to many thousands in the UK, whilst playing a key role in driving an increase in the amount of fresh fruit and vegetables in the UK diet.
"Led by Malcolm Isaac, Vitacress was the first to bring washed and ready to eat spinach to the supermarket shelves in a ready to microwave format. Again, driving the consumption of a highly beneficial component of the national diet. It was also Vitacress that pioneered the concept of baby leaf salads which contribute a major element of the £300m pa prepared leaf salad category.
"From travel in the US, Malcolm Isaac recognised the popularity of roquette, or arugula. Vitacress is now the UK's leading grower / packer of another highly nutritious and highly popular speciality salad leaf.
Malcolm Isaac's unique contribution to horticulture, and his vision and ability to change from a simple grower to a leading marketeer was recognised by the Royal Agricultural Society of England when, in 1999, he was the first horticulturalist to be awarded the RASE National Agricultural Award.
"Although many have retired by now Malcolm has continued to plan his business bringing in key senior management to take over some of his responsibilities, whilst he concentrates on the 5 year and longer term strategy.
"In summary, Malcolm Isaac has effectively pioneered ready to eat salads through the multiples and core components of those salads ñ watercress, roquette and spinach ñ are in the upper echelons of nutritious foods. He has therefore not only created a significant UK industry, but also significantly contributed to the health of the nation."
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