It is interesting to read that Freshfel, the European fresh produce trade association, is rekindling the concept of generic promotion of fruit and vegetables through its promotion working group.

The pros and cons of generic promotion have been kicked around both in the UK and at European level for some years, yet still no single organisation has got a successful long-term campaign off the ground.

Freshfel, with a working group chaired by Fyffes’s Laurence Swan, perhaps has as good a chance as any organisation of finding the necessary funds to run with its ideas - and good luck to them with that.

However, it appears, in the UK at least, that the preference of the majority of individual companies is for customer-led promotions. Who can blame them - that is what their customers want.

Generic promotion through the National School Fruit Scheme has been given a shove by funding from the government, but growers and marketeers are only encouraged to contribute as suppliers - and at the lowest possible cost.

The 5-a-day initiative also offers little scope for direct supplier involvement. The government has taken the project on and, at least from where I’m standing, done its normal closed-shop routine.

In both projects, the people who can help enhance, implement and promote the concepts best are being largely frozen out and what we, the industry, end up with is an unconnected group of promotional activities and a frustrating void.

Most people believe in the general direction, but unless participation is encouraged, it will not be too long before apathy sets in.