After an NFU-conducted survey revealed British consumers’ limited knowledge of seasonality in the food they eat, the union has launched a web page to improve knowledge of British fruit and vegetable varieties.  

The new mobile website gives information on what produce is in season and when and allows users to add their preferred produce to a ‘favourites’ section. The site is part of the NFU’s ‘Farming Delivers’ campaign to boost the public perception of farming in the UK.

The mobile site was launched to promote home-grown produce following a survey which found that, although most respondents said they would like to consume more locally grown produce, their knowledge of seasonality and horticultural crops grown in Britain was often limited.

The survey revealed one in eight people believed bananas and pineapples could be grown in the UK and forty per cent of respondents believed peaches could be produced in the country. Many of those questioned had a limited knowledge of fruit and vegetables’ growing seasons.

People aged over 55 faired better than younger generations in the survey and asparagus, which has received an effective pr boost in recent years, was shown to have retained the best sense of seasonality; nevertheless, only 44 per cent of respondents correctly identified the British asparagus season.   

NFU chief horticulture adviser Hayley Campbell-Gibbons said, “We can arm [shoppers] with the seasonality information they need to make informed decisions when out shopping. The mobile website is an incredibly easy to use month-by-month guide to in-season British fruit and veg that consumers can refer to when out-and-about shopping or planning a recipe.

“The British growing season has been massively extended through the introduction of exciting new varieties, modern growing techniques and the use of poly-tunnels. People are always surprised to know exactly how long the season is for many of the fantastic fruit and vegetables we grow.”

Ms Campbell-Gibbons suggested that supermarkets had helped erode knowledge of seasonality in Britain and suggested that a rediscovery of this could lead to increased consumption of more local varieties and empower consumers. The role of horticulture in creating a sustainable food system is beginning to be understood.

Food Policy experts have called for increased horticulture in the UK and the rediscovery of seasonal eating and local food networks.

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