How have growing conditions been?
Sandy Sewell, Florette: Raw material growth has been relatively good, and we’ve had a rather mild winter.
Tony Reid, Vitacress/Steve’s Leaves: The UK farms drilled their first crops in the middle of March, so it is still very early in our season. However, although it has been cold, dry conditions have meant we have been able to create suitable seedbeds for our early crops and initial signs are promising. Crop establishment has been very good and cold nights and sunny days should allow for good-quality crops with a longer shelf life.
Jackie Harris, British Leafy Salads Association/Valefresco: Generally conditions are good now for drilling, planting and growing; the weather conditions have improved over the last few weeks and daily temperatures have risen during the day, although it continues to turn chilly at night. The risk of frost hopefully has now passed. Quality expectations are good, although we are seeing a few bruised leaf margins from fleece rub following the strong winds at the end of March and into early April.
Mel Miles, Freshtime: The first few months of 2015 have been cold and dull in the UK – slow conditions have predominated for the first plantings. Warmer April conditions triggered a change and we now expect the new season outdoor crop to start on time. Spanish growers have had a difficult winter in our opinion, though. Cold and wet weather mid-winter resulted in continuity and quality challenges for much of the grower base.
What’s there to look forward to in the salad category?
SS: The category’s still in volume growth, even if value has been behind due to market deflation.Florette is performing well due to strong promotional activity, increased distribution, and our launch of baby kale in January.
TR: It’s the start of the UK season, so buying British should be shouted about now. Salad bowls continue to drive growth due to the consumer’s demand for convenient food.With this in mind, Steve’s Leaves is launching its Luscious Leafy Tomato Trio side salad at Waitrose stores in May.
JH: Last week (w/c 13 April) was an exciting one for salad growers as the UK basked in unseasonably warm sunshine, generating our busiest sales week of the year so far. With the Met Office predicting that the next three months will bring with them above-average temperatures, we are hopeful for more of the same, as barbecues are sparked up around the country.
MM: We feel as optimistic as ever! Working with fresh produce is always a rollercoaster ride because of the direct and immediate impact of Mother Nature. But at present the crops look good, and we’ve no reason to assume there will be any profound challenges.
What innovations are having an impact on the category?
TR: It’s important that we continually innovate with new crop varieties and flavour trends; wellbeing and health continue to be the key drivers in our varietal development programme. Baby kales are in vogue at the moment, but production will not be straightforward in the UK, so all-year-round supply needs to be factored in and planned for in a sustainable way. Watercress and spinach are seeing a resurgence in popularity due to their associated health and wellbeing benefits, and are popular with the clean-eating movement, particularly with the under 25s, which is positive for the industry as it safeguards the future of leafy produce.
JH: There are a number of new salads in the mix at the moment and kale has been one of the latest great additions. Smoothies are increasingly popular, and extra focus is on producing sweeter-tasting varieties that are great when blended. As a grower, Valefresco recognises what the industry needs and from our own innovation point we’ve been working with our seed houses and plant raisers to produce a new wild rocket.
MM: Innovations abound in the salad-growing sector; from vertical farming to LED units, hydroponics and others. However, the drive for cheap food to feed a growing population remains. Future-proofing is as much about sound business practice and supply chain rigour as it is about the blue-sky conceptual work. We need to keep developing the right products, recipes and marketing to make sure that the changing needs of our population are serviced by the industry and as many people as possible can enjoy lovely fresh, healthy salads.
What are the challenges facing salad suppliers?
SS: There weren’t many summer peaks at weekends last year, you saw the sun in the week, but not at weekends, and that affected things. The price of wholehead lettuce at 50p last year also kept the brakes on the market, and that price war, although it should have worked its way through by the summer, people get used to the buzz of the low price, but that can’t continue.
TR: Just some of the day-to-day challenges in our sector are sourcing quality land with a sustainable and safe water source, retaining high-calibre staff, retaining and finding new chemistry for crop protection and, of course, the volatile weather patterns. As an example, one particular challenge is with spinach crops, as it faces huge pressure from new mildew strains and sourcing seed that is resistant to mildew, so this will be high on the grower’s agenda.
JH: Weather is a continual challenge for salad growers as it can have such a huge impact on our operations. No two summers are the same anymore and no longer are there clear seasons either. Mild winters have had a negative impact, and we’re seeing an increase in pests and disease as a result. In addition, the cost to simply grow has escalated over the years, with energy seeing the most significant increase.
Have the Joanna Blythman ‘revelations’ (the journalist’s widely-publicised book on food claimed most pre-packaged ‘ready-to-eat’ salads have been doused in chemicals in the washing process) had an effect on the category?
SS: They’ve had no impact – we’ve had maybe one comment on Facebook out of 50,000 people who ‘like’ our page.
JH: In my opinion, Joanna Blythman’s book has had no negative impact on the category. Accusations like hers are always frustrating to us as an industry, as they often lack foundation and never contain all the true facts. What we are passionate about, however, is ensuring the end consumer has the chance to make their own informed fresh salad purchasing decisions.
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