I am becoming increasingly fascinated by the use of quite legal descriptive terms which keep appearing on fruit and veg packaging, writes David Shapley.

A good example this week was in Morrisons, where with the temperatures falling there is every indication of an increased take-up of root vegetables.

And as Christmas approaches, products like parsnips come into their own. There is no mistaking support of the English crop on the 500g packs, and 65p has to be good value. But I was intrigued with the term “Fresh”.

After all this has always been such a generality that it is almost meaningless. If anyone asks I have in mind Golden Delicious or Valencia Lates which stay stored for months on end.

While on root crops it’s amazing how the carrot sector has diversified. There are already long ones, short ones, stubby ones, bunched ones and even what salesmen in old Covent Garden affectionately used to refer to as “horse carrots”.

Add to that batons, strips and even rings in the snack market, and one is hard pressed to find more descriptions.

But Marks & Spencer, in its Ready to Cook range, is describing this as Chef Style at 250g for 99p with an extra sweet flavour. A retailer’s ingenuity seems to know no bounds.

While cruising the store I also came across a very smart yellow and chrome pineapple corer for £10. It’s the sort of in-store service, which is provided free in the US, so we have a long way to go.

It has always seemed perfectly logical to offer specialised gadgets, which include garlic squeezers, cherry stoners and even apple corers on the same fitment, but I know opinion in retail trade remains divided.

The counter argument is that it detracts from the main object of selling more produce, although I would have thought, like M&S, anything that can help is a plus point.

One such recent example has been the growth of ready-to-eat fruit, and the extension of the thought by developing a mixed maturity pack which first got under way with bananas.

Tesco is not alone in promoting the idea, but has taken it a stage further with Italian Red Williams, prepacked in fours where the most mature fruit carries a label to ensure customers are not disappointed.

As pears ripen from the inside out, it really is showing faith in the intrinsic quality of the product.