10 signatures reached
To: The UK's 5 biggest supermarkets
"In Season" In Supermarkets
Jason Tarry, Tesco's Chief Commercial Officer.
Ian Harrison, Asda’s technical produce director.
Drew Kirk, Morrisons’ produce director.
Sarah Warby, Sainsbury’s Marketing Director.
Chris Whitfield, The Cooperative Food's Retail and Logistics Director
Please introduce a section in your stores for fruit and vegetables that are "In Season".
Why is this important?
When asked 86% people believe in the importance of seasonality, and 78% claimed to shop seasonally, however only between 5-10% of people knew when various fruit and vegetables are actually in season. Supermarkets are increasingly providing customers with products that are out of season; using artificial growing techniques and transportation across hundreds of miles. Although these can be seen as advancements in technology or production yield, supermarkets should help people make more informed choices when it comes to sustainability and health.
If Supermarkets set up a clear section of their shops with products that are "In Season" locally with tasty recipe information to go with it, we can be happier in the knowledge our food retains more of its nutrients, is aiding local businesses, may be grown organically to help biodiversity and tastes better too!
This is not necessarily about eliminating food that is out of season, because everything is in season somewhere in the world! It is about a designated area for all the goodies that are "In Season" locally - it's not a big change to re-jiggle stock so that the seasonal stuff is in one place. From broccoli, apples and peppers in March to apricots, cabbage and new potatoes in May, give us the opportunity to make informed decisions.
Buying in season also supports local businesses by being more economical. Harvesting "In Season" means less reliance upon artificially creating climates and long term storage systems which could result in cheaper produce for the consumer.
Why the big 5 should listen:
Tesco aims to reduce its CO2 emissions and help children learn about food - seasonality is a big part of natural food production. ASDA and Morrison's are starting to sell wonky veg, showing a clear move towards consumer demand for healthy, local, seasonal, chemical free products. Sainsbury's aim to be the "greenest grocer" with "20 by 20" goals for health, the environment and sustainability and an "In Season" section would be a great step towards this. The Cooperative Food has an ethical food policy to support British farmers, help producers with Fairtrade and play an active role within our communities.
If you have any questions or suggestions please feel free to message me or leave a comment :)
