UK-grown salads were put in the spotlight at a series of roadshows at Sainsbury’s stores in the south east this week.
Suppliers joined the Greenery UK’s chef Noel to showcase the entire home-grown range and give shoppers the opportunity to taste tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers before entering the store.
Sainsbury’s salad suppliers Greenery UK, Fresh Link, Abbey View Produce, Tangmere Nurseries, Hedon Salads, Evesham Vale Growers, Mack Multiples and Valley Grown Salads provided the produce for roadshows in Hornchurch, London Colney, Vauxhall, Stevenage and Brentwood.
They also turned out in force to answer shoppers’ questions and help chef Noel promote their products with simple recipe suggestions. All of the ingredients from a recipe for Piedmont peppers in the JS Magazine for instance were displayed as the chef prepared the dish - creating cross-merchandising opportunities as well as encouraging shoppers to follow their taste buds to the salad fixture.
“We are linking the tasting experience to what Sainsbury’s customers see and buy in store,” said Carol Ford of the Greenery UK. “To a large extent I think British shoppers have forgotten how to have a relationship with their food and we are trying to reawaken their interest.”
Growers have been on hand throughout the week and have taken the opportunity to interact with consumers. Gill Wardell of Abbey View Produce, a Sainsbury’s supplier for nearly 40 years, said: “We have a wonderful display of produce here and there has been a huge variety of questions from customers about each line. We are just north of the M25, and the fact that our peppers and cucumbers are relatively local to here has interested a lot of people.”
Ford added: “On behalf of all the growers, I’d like to thank you toSainsbury’s for their support in this venture. The team at Sainsbury’s are great advocates of all things British and they have encouraged an increase in production in the last few years. In Runcton, for example, peppers were planted for the first time in five years this season. The growers are all 100 per cent behind the initiative - we know that if we don’t do positive things like this then the future is less promising.”
Sainsbury’s store manager at Vauxhall Kevin Jenner said: “It gives the store a real buzz to have this type of event by the entrance. The customers have certainly reacted positively and a more informed and knowledgeable customer can only have a better shopping experience with us.”
The roadshows will continue with a south-coast series in July, while Sainsbury’s and its suppliers are also collaborating at the Chilli and Pepper Fiesta at West Dean (Chichester) on August 7-8, The Hull Show and Totally Tomato Show, also at West Dean on September 11 and 12.
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