We've all heard the recent arguments about the term "fresh".

It obviously applies to apples picked straight off a tree. To emphasise the point our asparagus growers even got involved some time ago with an experiment which assessed the taste of a crop which was steamed (or was it boiled?) at the end of the row within seconds of being cut.

These may be obvious extremes, but I wonder how many consumers realise that a great deal of fruit and vegetables spend several weeks, if not months, in atmosphere store before arriving on the shelf?

Personally, I've always had a sneaking admiration for the Dutch red currant growers who manage to keep going in a niche market year round, and continue to be praised for the quality and freshness of their product.

But perhaps we should let sleeping dogs lie.

What is already beyond mere academic interest, however, is when does fresh produce, with the exception of products like dates and nuts, fall outside of its category?

The move towards convenience, we are told, is one of the growth areas, originally exemplified by the meteoric rise in bagged salads. So how far can it go?

Probably almost anywhere, after having recently reported on several examples of cheap raw produce, in paper bags, which make up some of the constituent parts of recipes for dishes like Beef Bourguignon and Chicken Kiev.

All the customer has to do is walk to the meat counter to complete their evening meal selection.

There are, of course, far higher levels of sophistication. A walk round any supermarket will find not just a range of prepared vegetables and fruit salads, but more-and-more themed complete meals, which draw inspiration and marketing messages from India, China, Thailand and beyond.

In fact, in my view, these products, complete with cook-in sources and spices, are already only one step away from the delicatessen counter.

In the United States I saw examples where the transition had already been made with an over-wrapped half-melon, heaped with raspberries, being sold alongside ice-cream.

Those gigantic dipping strawberries, with a long stalk, combined with a pot of some form of emulsified dairy product was another case in point.

Supermarkets, of course, make their own rules and merchandisers guard their own space with zeal. I'm told that's why there are not many examples of apple or pineapple corers next to the products with which they are associated. And as an aside, what was the fate of those serrated Jaffa grapefruit spoons?

It has been argued customers are less confused searching for these purchases in the cookery or kitchen department - which is also a very good argument for highlighting these instant lines better, and at best in a fixture all of their own.

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