Fresh-cut is a term which is growing in status, particularly when applied to fruit, after what I would consider as quite a few false starts. Development was not helped by leaky packaging and contents that look well past their sell-by date, even when freshly delivered into store.

However, things have improved, and the category has been driven on by more and more combinations, first of mainly tropical fruit, including melons, as well as, more recently, citrus and apple snack packs.

And further signs that the market is maturing nicely is in evidence at Asda with the arrival of the next generation, which includes fruit kebabs with pineapple, kiwifruit and melon chunks firmly skewered into position, at £2.98.

But what caught my eye was the inclusion of dips, in this case a mango and coconut drizzle.

The trend is being extended with its Summer Punch fruit snack pack at £1.48 for 180g. The product is 29 per cent apple, 28 per cent kiwifruit and pineapple, and the dip includes, amongst other things, bitter alcohol. I wonder how long it will be before the contents will start altering, as even more products arrive.

Meanwhile, I’ve noticed how Marks & Spencer is always prepared to offer just that little more information or history on its packs.

A label for 150g of Padron tapas peppers certainly catches the eye, and a further study indicates that the mix of mild and hot has been specially selected from seeds that originate from the pimientos de Pardon variety, brought to northern Spain by Mexican monks in the 18th century and which, south of the Pyrenees, form the basis for an annual fiesta.

More humdrum maybe, one should not forget there is still room to upgrade the potato. Somerfield has newly introduced one of those stand-up packs that are far more eye-catching on the shelves. Designed for the microwave, taking only five and a half minutes, the pack contains a butter and herb dressing.

With the news from the British Potato Council this week that wastage levels in the crop being lifted has been described by one packer as “horrendous”, it will be intriguing to see what comes over the counter later in the year.

And finally, I am delighted to find that the big retailers do not always have it their own way when it comes to special packs. There are far fewer greengrocers about nowadays, although some of the slack has been taken up by boutique food shops. In one such case, I found a 125g Barduca Bio-branded Italian Organic Gran mix at £1.95, containing rocket, corn salad, radiccio and carots [sic]. The spellings might be a bit dodgy, but the contents were as fresh as anything coming from nearer home.

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