If Steve Parrott has his way, carrots are about to become the leading light in the £2 billion per annum UK snack food sector.
Parrott, special projects manager for Seminis Vegetable Seeds (UK), explains: “We feel the snack carrot market, especially the cut and peel types from the US, is far from reaching its true potential. Our carrot breeder in the US is continuing to supply us with new lines for trial in the UK and we have great hopes to be able to offer greatly improved cut and peel varieties in the near future.”
As the UK government begins the push to force food companies to reduce salt and sugar additives in processed foods, and develop policies relating to the massive hike in UK obesity statistics, promoting healthy vegetable snack alternatives is likely to benefit the vegetable sector as a whole.
Developing new varieties for the UK market has been something the carrot sector has been pursuing for some years, and consumers now have the opportunity to select from a broad range of colours and tastes.
Torro F1, a new Seminis carrot variety, has seen considerable interest from UK growers because of its high yields, clean foliage and good colour characteristics. More importantly, major UK retailers have expressed interest in the new variety as the sweeter flavour is being sort after by consumers, and looks set to take market share from existing carrot varieties.
The development of the functional foods market is not just the domain of highly processed foods. It has also caused a stir in the root vegetable industry.
In the last couple of years, Seminis has been developing a lycopene-rich carrot, Nutrired. Reported to have similar levels of lycopene as tomatoes, Nutrired is a long thin carrot with distinctive purple-red colouring. This colouring is a natural protector against harsh sunlight.
Additional research by Seminis suggests that lycopene may prevent some major diseases, in particular those relating to heart disease and cancer. Whether or not these benefits are forthcoming, consumers are always on the lookout for products that provide a broader variety of taste, flavour, and health benefits to incorporate into their everyday meals.
Parrot says: “We are leading the development of a range of new coloured varieties, with natural health benefits. In the past characteristics like taste and colour have not been at the top of the retailers’ lists. By diversifying shape, colour and taste, the appeal of root vegetables can be extended to more consumers, boosting consumption and promoting better health for all.”
Seminis is a major player in this game with more 4,000 distinct seed varieties, 130 patents, a hand-full of international brands, and a research budget in the vicinity of £27 million per annum. The company also undertakes collaborative work with some of the world’s top R&D universities and organisations.
Tompsett Burgess Growers has also tried to establish coloured carrots in the UK market. Last year under an exclusive sales arrangement with Sainsbury’s the organisation produced around 120,000 bunches of the Texas University purple carrot, Betasweet.
However Betasweet did not perform well in the UK climate so the arrangement has been scrapped. Not shy of a challenge, this year Tompsett Burgess Growers has launched into the production of the old fashioned purple carrot, Purple Haze. With an existing market in Europe for Purple Haze, Tompsett Burgess Growers managing director Clem Tompsett is more reserved about his prediction for Purple Haze in the UK market.
He says: “We have sold these carrots to Sharrocks, a Preston-based company, and this seasons crop was sold as a bunch carrot. Sales have been limited and we have now finished the crop. At the present time we will continue to grow a small acreage for next year.”
The 2004 season for root vegetables has proved challenging for most growers. After a long wet summer, harvesting has been delayed which in some cases has meant a limited supply of product on the market. Although not a huge concern as yet, carrot growers across the UK have reported some signs of cavity spot infestations as a result of the prolonged wet weather.
There have also been some issues this year with the parsnip crop.
Rod Bartlett of Skipper Produce explains that his parsnips were saved by the August rains. With a good stand of parsnips established on fully irrigated fields, the rain in August will enable the crop to grow to its full potential in both size specification and skin finish.
Bartlett says: “The rain in August was a welcome relief. We have now bailed all the wheat straw, ready to be spread on the parsnips so that we can harvest in freezing conditions.”
Without good growing conditions in September and October, parsnip yields are likely to be down. This is not the news parsnip growers want to hear, particularly as they are currently dealing with a slow start to parsnip sales this year.
Other root vegetable producers are much more optimistic about the season. Celeriac producer Jack Buck Growers (JBG) is set to harvest around 1,600 tonnes of conventional celeriac and 100t of organic celeriac this season.
The wet summer has caused some delays in harvest, however this has not impacted the quality of the crop thus far. Simon Howard of JBG says: “We began harvesting our celeriac crop in August and will continue right through until early December. The wet weather has delayed the harvest but has not affected the quality and storage potential.”
In the past, the storage of celeriac has been a problem for the company. However, with the introduction of more targeted in-field fungicides, it is now able to harvest and store a quality assured crop.
With more than 20 years in the celeriac growing business, the company admits that growing the “Ugly One” is difficult. Howard says: “We have been growing celeriac for over 20 years and continue to find it a difficult product. Everything from production to handling causes problems.”
This traditional Victorian winter root vegetable has seen static annual sales, despite its popularity in Europe. Retailers have continued to put prices under pressure, causing JBG to fine-tune promotional activities. This year, the company will be delivering a targeted point of sale promotional program in conjunction with retailers.
“We aim to increase demand for celeriac through a deeper and more condensed promotional program this year,” says Howard. “Celeriac is promoted as a main ingredient root vegetable.”
JBG primarily supplies celeriac to the UK market, however the excess crop from last season saw product being exported to the Netherlands for the first time.
In recent years the processing sector has seen rapid change in consumer demand patterns. The chilled convenience and ready meal market for example, has increased by more than 50 per cent in just four years.
In response to this demand, Parripak Foods, an organic accredited vegetable processor, has developed a range of root crop products for the chilled convenience and ready meal markets.
In this intensely competitive market, Parripak has invested in new plant and machinery enabling the company to process in excess of 1,000t of raw material a week. Keen to pursue market opportunities, it offers growers fixed price contracts.
James Parrish, the company’s joint managing director, says: “The potential of the chilled food market is often underestimated. Ten years ago I would have never believed that people would buy fresh mashed potatoes, but with some of the food manufacturers we supply, this accounts for one of the highest throughput lines.”
A challenging year for root vegetables in the UK lies ahead, particularly in terms of slow and static sales. Nevertheless, opportunities exist for producers and processors who develop unique products, either at the production end or through processing for the fast developing tastes of the UK consumer.
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