Red or dead? Recession bites into strawberry sales
Friday, June 5. 2009
The economic downturn and a bout of bad weather has caused a punnet plummet, leaving the industry in a bit of a jam. But has the fruit has simply fallen out of favour with us? And will it ever be top of the crops again?
Admit it - there was a time when we just couldn't get enough of them. Luscious, juicy British strawberries whose arrival signalled the beginning of spring, stunning in their simplicity and needing little more than a lick of cream or even a glass of champagne.
But research earlier this week suggested that the Great British love affair with strawberries has ended. According to market research firm TNS, the volume of strawberries fell 9.2% in the 12 months to the end of April, prompting fears that the quintessential summer fruit has fallen from favour. It blamed the recession for the decline of strawberry sales, and said consumers were increasingly opting for a different, cheaper fruit or even something else for dessert.
For families on a budget, picking strawberries on a summer's day outing at a pick-your-own farm has been a time-honoured pursuit. But in another ominous move for our favourite berry, insurers have told the owner of one of the oldest pick-your-own farms that he will have to install walkways and bridges, place handrails round ditches and fence off potholes, while his insurance premiums have rocketed after a claim from a member of the public who injured herself.
But if you thought the poor old British strawberry was heading for the great compost bin in the sky, put your hanky away and whip out your strawberry set. (Yes, my mother was the proud owner a Wedgwood one - a bone china basket with two separate compartments for cream and, yuk, sugar). The combined might of retailers and the strawberry industry itself - now gearing up for perhaps the UK's biggest strawberry-fest, Wimbledon, later this month – insisted strawberries are as popular as ever, but that sales had slumped because of the cold and wet weather last summer.
The trade body representing the - don't laugh - berry industry (British Summer Fruit if you must know) said sales of British strawberries more than doubled last week compared with the same period in May 2008. It said there is huge demand for British strawberries as consumers enjoy picnics, barbecues and other al fresco entertainment, while consumers could take their pick from an unprecedented range of varieties, including the naturally sweet types favoured by Brits.
This year's strawberry-seekers can look forward to sweeter and juicer berries, which, according to Laurence Olins, chairman of British Summer Fruit, is a result of the "mild and warm spring weather, with no frosts and good pollination, lots of bees as well as a good amount of uninterrupted sun to ripen fruit".
Sainsbury's will reveal today that despite the overall slump within the industry, sales of its basics strawberries - costing just £1 a punnet - are up 87% year-on-year. Its experience is that customers buy basics strawberries to use for sauces or smoothies, and upgrading to the standard variety as a pudding or on their own. Those who hate the over-the-top plastic packaging with lids on punnets will be be pleased to hear that the supermarket chain has also introduced simplified and greener packaging.
So - share your strawberry-buying habits with us. Have you cut back on them in a belt-tightening, recession-busting exercise? What do you do with the manky ones? And, of course, we'd love to know your berry best recipes too!
