A British parsnip supplier has ceased trading after claiming its primary retail customer’s cosmetic standards meant the business was no longer viable.
The Hammond family, who have produced parsnips at Tattersett Farms in Norfolk for 30 years, supplied Morrisons until deciding to close the business.
Its last-ever commercial parsnip crop was filmed being packed on episode two of BBC1’s Hugh’s War on Waste – an ongoing series by food campaigner and chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, where he is highlighting the problem of food waste in British society.
Filming at the Hammonds’ farm, Fearnley-Whittingstall met Kevin and Debbie Hammond who told him they waste around 20 tonnes of parsnips a week due to strict aesthetic standards for Morrisons produce.
“We feel like we had no other alternative. We were going to lose a lot of money if we continued growing,” Kevin Hammond said on the programme.
His wife added: “They say they work closely with suppliers, but they don’t, they don’t give a damn.”
Speaking on the programme, Hammond said Morrisons had asked him to “bury” the television interview as they did not want to participate.
“Engagement is the key here. No one expects the supermarkets to have instant solutions to this very difficult problem,” said Fearnley-Whittingstall. He said Morrisons said it had offered to help the Hammonds with crop usage, but the family had said it was too late.
During the programme, Morrisons ran a trial in one store to sell wonky courgettes alongside Class One produce, and it has also announced it is launching a new permanent range of wonky vegetables.
The Hammond family were not available for comment at the time of writing.
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