Fruit & veg
Henderson Brown’s inaugural “Cheltenham Gold Cup” day was held on Friday 15th March at the Great Northern Hotel in the centre of Peterborough.
The live races from Cheltenham were projected to the guests on a big screen, with a licensed bookmaker to take bets and industry expert to talk through the race card.
This invite-only event was a thank you to our clients and business friends for all their support and partnership throughout the year.
Martin Brown, Managing Director of Henderson Brown said:
“The whole day went brilliantly. It was superb to see many of the clients’ that we feel privileged to work with year on year at this event. We have already started planning for next year and it was really well received. With some big outside winners, some of our guests went home extremely happy!!”
The entire team from Henderson Brown would like to say a very big thank you to all of those that joined them for this event. Additionally, they would like to thank the staff at the Great Northern Hotel for providing such excellent hospitality.
More growth for discount retailers, but Sainsbury’s was the only ‘big four’ retailer to post sales growth over the last month, Kantar data shows
Lidl has achieved a new record share of the UK grocery market.
This is the second successive month Lidl has reached a new share high, and now claims 4.3% of the market, after seeing its growth accelerating to 17.9% in the 3 months to 11 October 2015.
The discount retailer’s growth was particularly strong in Scotland, the scene of its ‘smarter shopping’ card trial.
The latest Kantar Worldpanel data also shows that Aldi saw its revenues rocket by 17.6% compared to last year’s figures.
Sainsbury’s was the only one of the larger supermarkets to see sales growth this period, and a strong performance in its online and c-store channels helped it to increase revenues by 1.1%.
However, Sainsbury’s market share was static at 16.1%.
Sales fell at Tesco by 1.7%, though it is too early to see the impact of its revamped ‘Brand Guarantee’ initiative. At Asda, sales fell by three per cent, bringing its market share down by 0.7 percentage points to 16.6%.
Meanwhile, sales at Morrisons fell by one per cent, taking its grocery market share to 10.8%
Fraser McKevitt, of Kantar Worldpanel, said: “In contrast to the overall market, online grocery sales have increased by 9.8% on last year. Despite this rapid expansion, space for retailers to increase both share and revenue in this area remains, with less than a fifth of households currently shopping online.
“Internet sales offer a chance of long term growth – only 18% of households bought groceries online in the last 12 weeks meaning there’s plenty of space for further expansion. The convenience factor and minimum spend restrictions mean online baskets tend to be larger, averaging £67 in value, compared with £14 for the average bricks and mortar trip.
“Amazon Fresh’s expected full launch early next year could be a major disruptor, bringing down average basket sizes, accommodating on demand shopping, and accelerating the growth of the whole online market.”
There has been further success this period for Waitrose, with sales up by 2.1%; The Co-operative also saw sales grow by one per cent, and Iceland grew for the sixth month in a row, increasing sales by 3.2%, benefitting from a wider range of premium products.
The National Diet and Nutrition Survey found that nearly one in ten people from the Lothians eats no fruit or veg
Cracks about the Scottish diet are nothing new, but now a new study has shown that nearly one in ten people in the Lothians eats no fruit or vegetables.
The National Diet and Nutrition Survey also found that more than two-thirds of people across the region don’t get their “5 A DAY”, and that over half of all Edinburgh adults are either overweight or obese.
In response to the results, the Edinburgh evening news reports, a drive has been launched to promote healthier eating habits among the region’s population.
Edible Edinburgh is a campaign that brings together the NHS, city council and volunteer-led groups in a bid to change public attitudes to food and encourage people to buy more local produce and grow their own fruit and veg.
Launching Edible Edinburgh, the city council’s environment convener Lesley Hinds told the Evening News: “We all know that a nutritious diet, including plenty of cereals, fruit and vegetables, is essential for a good start in life, and to stay healthy later on.
“Unfortunately, not everyone has access to affordable fresh and healthy food, and we are determined to change that in Edinburgh.”
Kent-based strawberry and pear farmer will be representing the interests of all growers in the south-east region
David Long has joined the NFU’s horticulture and potatoes board.
Long runs DG Long, a 1,500-acre family-owned farm near Rochester, Kent, producing pears and strawberries, among other crops.
Long has overseen an expansion of the business in the last decade which has focused on the planting of new pear orchards.
NFU horticulture adviser, Chris Hartfield, commented: “The NFU would like to congratulate David on his appointment to the national horticulture and potatoes board. We have no doubt that his experience in growing pears and strawberries will make his input invaluable to the challenges we face as a sector.
“As well as representing the interests of fruit growers, David will also be representing the interests of all growers in the south-east region.”
Researcher: ‘Change in dietary pattern from the traditional British diet substantially lowers risk’
Eating a diet full of fruit and vegetables can slash your risk of a heart attack by a third, according to new research.
Scientists measured blood pressure and heart disease risk factors like high cholesterol in 162 non-smoking men and women aged between 40 and 70.
One group ate what was deemed a ‘traditional British diet’ high in saturated fat, salt and sugar, and low in fibre, oily fish and fruit and vegetables.
The other group consumed a diet full of fruit and vegetables, and lower levels of animal fat, that included oily fish once a week, and restricted sugar and salt intake.
Men and women in the “healthy diet” group were also asked to replace cakes and biscuits with fruit and nuts and supplied with cooking oils and spreads high in mono-unsaturated fats.
The healthy diet was linked to a significant fall in blood pressure, an average reduction in heart rate of 1.8 beats per minute, and an 8% fall in cholesterol levels.
The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, also found men and women over 40 who adapted their diet to meet UK Government guidelines reduced their risk of heart disease by up to a third.
Tom Sanders, of the study team, said: “Our findings apply to middle-aged and older people without existing health problems. This is important because most heart attacks and strokes occur in those not identified as being at high risk.
“We show that adherence to current dietary guidelines which advocate a change in dietary pattern from the traditional British diet (high in saturated fat, salt and sugar, low in fibre, oily fish and fruit and vegetables) would substantially lower that risk.”
Proposed deal could create world’s largest fresh produce company and adds development to recent rumours of a possible sale
The directors of Belgium-based fruit and vegetable giant Univeg have revealed they are to discuss a potential merger with processing firm Greenyard Foods and horticultural substrate specialist Peatinvest, a move that would create the world’s largest fresh produce company.
Greenyard Foods, which changed its name in September 2013 from PinguinLutosa after the sale of its Lutosa potato business to McCains, is currently listed on the Euronext stock exchange, so the move will add further fuel to rumours circulating last month that plans are afoot to take Univeg public.
In February, Belgian newspaper De Standaard claimed that Univeg’s chairman and majority shareholder Hein Deprez wanted to sell the company in an initial public offering during the second half of 2015.
In a statement, the company’s board said it believed a “business combination” of the three groups had the potential to create “a unique global player in the fruit and vegetables market capable of offering the full range of fresh, frozen and canned products”.
Combining Univeg with Greenyard Foods and Peatinvest would in theory create a global market leader in the fruit and vegetable business, with combined revenue in excess of €3.7bn eclipsing the sales of even the largest multinationals currently operating in the business.
Hein Deprez, chairman of Univeg, is also chairman of Greenyard Foods and Peatinvest – both of which have their headquarters in Belgium.
At Greenyard, via Deprez Holding, Food Invest International and 2D, he is also the controlling shareholder of the company, with around 46 per cent ownership. He is also the major shareholder in Peatinvest.
Commenting on the proposed merger, Deprez commented: “Creating a combined group offering fresh, frozen and canned fruit and vegetables would be beneficial to growers, retailers, consumer, employees and shareholders. We believe societal trends call for a more holistic view on fruit and vegetable consumption.”
Univeg’s statement added that discussions were still due to take place regarding the value and specific detail of any such deal. No decision will be made until an agreement has been reached!
“No final decision has been reached regarding the structure of any business combination,” the group added. “In the meantime, there can be no certainty on any agreement between Univeg, Greenyard Foods or Peatinvest, or as to the terms of any such agreement.”
Professional chef, Aaron Craze will help with PR activity for the growers’ association and its Love Your Greens campaign
Jamie Oliver’s protégée and CBBC star Aaron Craze has been unveiled as the face of the ‘Love Your Greens’ campaign.
The Brassica Growers’ Association (BGA) is hoping that with his popularity among children and his experience as a professional chef, he will prove to be a resourceful asset and member to the campaign.
Craze will be integrated into “Love Your Greens” activity to help raise awareness and drive consumer engagement within the category.
Activity for 2015 will include new and exclusive branded content for the website featuring Craze, radio broadcast activity, PR, and social media (Facebook, Twitter etc) support.
Craze will also be helping to connect children with the category by taking on an ambassador role for the campaign’s brand new ‘Tuck In’ recipe competition, launching later this month.
The competition is in line with the Love Your Greens campaign to educate consumers on the importance of a healthy, balanced diet.
Craze said: “As a father myself, I know how important it is to ensure that kids have a healthy, balanced diet packed full of fresh fruit and vegetables. The Love Your Greens campaign is all about engaging with kids, getting them excited about cooking from scratch, and educating them on how healthy and versatile brassica vegetables are.
“If I can help inspire kids and get them as excited as I am about cauliflower, broccoli, swede, Brussels sprouts and cabbages, I’ll be well chuffed.”
Matt Rawson, BGA chairman, added: “Educating children and young people on the benefits of brassica vegetables, and how great they taste, is key to our Love Your Greens campaign.
“We’re delighted to have Aaron on board to help us spread this message and encourage children nationwide to get cooking and create some delicious, healthy dishes using brassicas.”
Craze presents the CBBC shows Junior Bake Off and Pet School.He also hosts the show Rude Boy Food, which was shown on the Good Food Channel in the UK.
After leaving school with no formal qualifications, Craze rose to prominence after joining one of Oliver’s cookery courses, culminating in him graduating with merit and running some of Oliver’s business interests.
Family allowed to keep ‘Broc’ as family pet while retailer stresses broccoli is ‘thoroughly inspected’ at point of harvest
A family found a live gecko in a bag of Spanish broccoli they were preparing to cook over the Christmas period, the Daily Mirror has reported.
The Martin family, from Powys in Wales, said the vegetable had been kept in the shed for four days and four nights before being taken out for the Christmas meal.
Jolene Martin removed the plastic wrapping from the broccoli, before chopping it up and placing it in a pan, when she spotted the creature.
A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: “Our broccoli is thoroughly inspected and checked while it’s being harvested, however this gecko clearly had other ideas and we’re glad it’s found a new home.”
After contacting the RSPCA, the family were told they could keep the gecko, now christened ‘Broc’, as a family pet as it was “too difficult to send it back to Spain”, the Mirror reported.
Switching from regular to organic produce could give same benefits as adding one or two portions to your current 5 A DAY intake
Organic food contains more of the antioxidant compounds linked to better health and lower levels of toxic metals and pesticides, according to a new study. The international team behind the study suggest that switching from regular to organic fruit and vegetables could give the same benefits as adding one or two portions of the 5 A DAY currently recommended, The Guardian reports.
The news outlet reported that the team, led by Professor Carlo Leifert at the University of Newcastle, found that there are “statistically significant, meaningful” differences between organic and regular produce, with a range of antioxidants being “substantially higher” – between 19% and 69% – in organic food.
It is believed to be the first study to demonstrate clear and wide-ranging differences between organic and conventional fruits, vegetables and cereals.
The researchers say the increased levels of antioxidants are equivalent to “one to two of the five portions of fruits and vegetables recommended to be consumed daily, and would therefore be significant and meaningful in terms of human nutrition, if information linking these [compounds] to the health benefits associated with increased fruit, vegetable and whole grain consumption is confirmed.”
However, Tom Sanders, a professor of nutrition at King’s College London, told The Guardian that while the research did show some differences, “the question is are they within natural variation? And are they nutritionally relevant? I am not convinced.”
He added that Leifert’s work had caused controversy in the past.
The results are based on an analysis of a record-breaking 343 previously peer-reviewed studies from all over the world which examine differences between organic and conventional fruit, vegetables and cereals.
The research is due to be published in the British Journal of Nutrition next week. It has, however, appeared on numerous medical sites this week.