Salads have been one of the UK’s fastest growing food categories, according to The Greenery. The company has seen good performances in the last 12 months due to increased popularity and demand for salads in the UK, and the strong position of the Netherlands in the European market. In 2002, the UK salad retail market was worth £1.254 billion, and has grown by 90 per cent since then. In the past 10 years this equates to an increase in sales of 18 per cent.
Tomatoes are a staple of the Dutch salad bowl, and in the last two seasons tomato growing area has increased considerably, says The Greenery - from 1,250 hectares to 1,350ha. This has resulted in the start of a new horticultural era, where growers are enlarging the scale of their operations, enabling them to install up-to-date packing equipment so that all packing is done at source in compliance with strict quality assurance schemes. Key developments on varieties for The Greenery include the introduction of new beef tomato, Macarena. This can be harvested red without compromising storage life and has a number of unique characteristics, which are beneficial to presentation on the shelves.
Another key area of growth is in capsicum, particularly the Ramiro pepper which The Greenery is supplying in increasing volume to the UK. The demand for year-round products is also growing and Dutch growers have adapted to demand by establishing winter production with the help of artificial lighting. The start of the season has been difficult because of the dark weather, but in some areas mobile artificial lighting is being used on a large scale to help increase production.
Effective resistance to disease is an ever-present concern for salad growers and in the lettuce sector an increasing number of producers are now choosing Nasonovia ribisnigri-resistant iceberg as the most reliable way of keeping out the persistent currant lettuce-aphid.
Rijk Zwaan was the first seed breeding company to come up with Nr-resistant lettuce - the aphid is very difficult to control chemically, particularly in iceberg lettuce because of the plant’s tight construction which means chemical pesticides have difficulty reaching the heart of the lettuce.
The decision to choose Nr-resistant varieties was a deliberate one at Merson Farms in Chichester, West Sussex. Grower Nigel Hodgson says: “Currant aphids are the primary pests in iceberg lettuce and are extraordinarily difficult to control with pesticides. I also think that currant aphids may well become resistant to chemicals at some point in the future, so that is an added reason for finding a solution to this problem. We use Elenas RZ because we cannot grow two successive Gaucho-treated lettuce crops on the same field and we are already short of land. Opting for an environment-friendly, Nr-resistant variety was the obvious choice for us.”
Merson Farms has reserved 300 ha for iceberg lettuce, which yield about 700,000 heads of Elenas RZ a week for Sainsbury’s and Asda where the lettuce is displayed as whole head.
Van Gorp Greenfood in Belford also demands aphid-free lettuce for its customers - particularly McDonald’s which it supplies in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. During the summer the lettuce comes mainly from its own nursery in Leveroy. “Eleven million plants were planted last summer,” says production manager Rob Thijssen. “Iceberg lettuce with internal shortcomings such as bolting and internal rot cannot be processed or only with great difficulty. Any pests present can also pose a lot of problems. Caterpillars and worms are the biggest nuisances. Thanks to aphid-resistant varieties and seed-coating we have had relatively little bother from aphids, so fewer crop protection preparations are used which can only be good for the product’s image.”
Mike Stanley, responsible for the salads section at Safeway also advocates the use of Nr-resistant varieties. “I am all for the use of varieties with resistances anyway, including resistances to other infections and infestations,” he says. “The fewer the chemicals used by growers in pest and disease control, the better.”
Although aphids in lettuce result in instant rejection, Safeway does not dictate to growers what varieties they should be growing. “A grower knows better than anyone what variety grows best in the soil type on his nursery,” says Stanley. “We do sometimes suggest that growers try out varieties which meet all the demands we make of lettuce in terms of flavour, quality and product safety. All the lettuce we sell is grown in accordance with EurepGAP standards. Natural resistance plays an important part and food safety is paramount to Safeway. We must be able to guarantee that our products are safe to eat and only those growers who have adopted these standards can supply us.”
Using resistant varieties also fits in with the desire to use fewer crop protection preparations. Growers who minimize the use of these preparations also find it easier to become EurepGAP certified and so will be able to supply the large European supermarket chains. Nr-resistant varieties also fit in better with organic growing as these varieties have a natural defence against currant lettuce aphids. Rijk Zwaan’s range of Nr-resistant lettuce varieties includes Butterhead, Red and Green Oakleaf, Romaine, Lollo Rosso and mini iceberg.
As consumers become increasingly aware of the negative health effects of residual levels of pesticides and preservatives in the food chain, new methods of production are vital. “After two years of intensive research with the dermatologist Professor Stolze we found that Benzocaine and Benzoparaben, believed to be harmless additives for colour and conservation in processed fruit and vegetables, are causing serious health problems,” says Arie Van den Berg, owner of Van Den Berg Seeds.
The company has developed the tomato Zaroten F1, for the production of biological tomatoes that are Vineripe® and can be harvested when their full colour has been reached, and are also Longlife® which means they need no refrigeration during storing or transport. The resistance and tolerance of Zaroten F1 for the most common tomato problems makes it possible to produce a tomato crop without the use of non-biological treatments.
“The New F1 hybrid tomato Zaroten is a valuable addition to our range of high-quality tomatoes,” says Van Den Berg. “The high level of disease resistance and field tolerance of Zaroten makes it the best tomato hybrid for organic tomato production without using insecticides or fungicides and with maximum fuel saving. Zaroten F1 is not only tolerant for tobacco mosaic virus TMV, fusarium 1 and 2 and verticillium, but also resistant for nematodes and more tolerant for botrytis. The plants are strong but not too bushy and growth is more generative than vegetative, which is a must for high yields. They are also labour saving as there is less leaf trimming, less plant maintenance and more fruit. The resulting fruit is round, medium-large and turns to an attractive deep red. It has outstanding quality which can satisfy the most remote and demanding customer.”
Van Den Berg Seeds has also launched lettuce Bergspring that is tolerant to all known fysios of bremia in lettuce as another aid in the reduction of the use of fungicides in lettuce production. Both tomato Zaroten F1 and lettuce Bergspring are available from UK distributor, Tozers.
Ongoing developments in disease resistant varieties have greatly expanded the potential of Dutch salads. Eosta BV is involved in the entire chain of cultivation, supplying salads to specialised natural food outlets and conventional supermarkets on the principle of fresh, daily deliveries. The company specialises in tomatoes and peppers and its main issue is the availability of product the whole year-round. Some products such as carrots are available in the requested quantities the whole year-round. Others, such as greenhouse salad crops including tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers are not available at certain times of the year.
There are other factors that are causing concern for the Dutch salad category. High prices on the European continent have put exports to the UK under pressure as has continued salad production in Spain. However, with countries such as Poland entering the EU, The Greenery expects demand for salads and fresh produce to grow in the east of Europe, as well as central Europe and Germany - there are very positive signs for increased trade this year.
VALSTAR CELEBRATES
Last year Valstar Holland BV celebrated its 75th anniversary. The company has been trading with its biggest market, the UK, for nearly 75 years - and started to supply the traditional wholesale markets at a time when Dutch auctions were at the heart of the fresh produce sector. Now Valstar supplies category managers, caterers, food service companies, processors and wholesale customers across the UK.
Valstar Holland has 20 sales managers exporting to more than 50 countries across the globe. Punctuality is paramount to the business and Valstar’s own fleet of 10 vehicles and other dedicated distributors ensure that products are delivered to customers in Europe within 12 to 24 hours of ordering. With offices in the Netherlands (Fruit World, PeDe, Valstar Noord Holland), Spain (Barcelona), Poland (Warsaw) and Ireland (Waterford), and a support office in the UK (Lincolnshire), Valstar is continuing to extend its business throughout Europe. Its full product range consists of salads, vegetables, soft and top fruit, which come mainly from its own growers - members of VDN (Vers Direct Nederland).
In order to satisfy consumer demands, all growers have EurepGAP certification as a minimum standard. The recently refurbished packing facilities in Poeldijk have a floor space of 12,500m2 and ISO, HACCP and BRC higher level as the minimum standard.
PeDe BV exports mainly to the German food service market and wholesale markets but also to Switzerland and Austria. Besides a full produce range, its strength is in fresh herbs and various types of lettuce.
In 1997 Valstar set up a company in Warsaw (Poland), Fresh World International - a thriving operation designed to import from around the world to supply the industry and specifically the fresh produce market in Poland. Poland is one of the fastest growing producing markets in Europe and its produce is set to hit the UK shelves within the next few years. When Poland joins the EU in May, the opportunities to export will increase and Fresh World Poland will expand its export activities to the UK, particularly in salads and vegetables.
Fresh World Barcelona was set up to enable year-round supply. Fresh World Barcelona is able to supply all types of fruit and vegetables from across Spain, and is now mainly active with salad exports to 10 European countries.
The companies all support each other and strengthen Valstar’s business. Valstar Holland continues to build on long-term relationships with existing and future customers.
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