Article featured in FPJ – June, 2021

Root to Fruit & Seasonal eating is becoming more popular, as people connect food with their health and health of the planet.  Take your customers on the journey with your produce from seed to harvest, to help you better connect with conscious consumers.

Consumers are engaging more in the need for seasonal eating.  They have come to recognise that consuming local, seasonal produce is not only healthy for us personally, it has fundamental benefits for the health of our planet, as well as helping to support our local farmers and producers.

On a worldwide scale, with lockdowns all around the globe, the supply of foods grown in different parts of the world was disrupted. For the first time in generations, we had to cook with what was available/local – and that meant a broadening of understanding of seasonal.

What’s more we’ve come to a better understanding of Seasonality.  Farm Shops around the country moved from being a weekend ‘destination shop’ to becoming many people’s shop of choice and we bought seasonal home grown produce again.

Subscriptions for Farm veg box schemes soared, as people not only sought local, reliable food supply, but also to show solidarity with local farmers, and foster community connection, at a time when human connection was limited. 

Eating what is grown locally and within season has enormous impact on our health. Eating food when Mother Nature provides it to us is when it is most nutritious. 

Re-connecting with nature is one thing that has been a common theme in all our lives throughout the lockdowns that have happened on a global scale.  Unable to meet indoors for many months, our local parks, nature trails and gardens became our place for solace, exercise, and meeting friends and family, albeit at a distance.

Some people took that connection with nature even further, with a reported rise in gardening and growing our own produce. Seed companies across the UK sold out of seeds in hours! In pre-lockdown days our social media feeds were filled with photos of nights out, often dining in our favourite restaurants with friends.  Unable to do this, our social media became awash with images of our home-grown fruit and veg, and subsequent experiments in the kitchen.

So what can fresh produce growers do to harness this revived interest and understanding of seasonality?  Tell your seasonal story to your consumers.  Take them on the journey from root to fruit.  Video content covering planting, growth and harvest can educate and entertain.  Combine that with cooking videos and recipes, and you provide everything a conscious consumer needs to engage more with the benefits of your produce.