Sales of organic vegetable boxes are on the increase, but the produce isn't always local or seasonal – and the scheme may be run by a major retailer rather a trusted farmer
Fruit and vegetables from Abel & Cole. Photograph: Sarah Lee for the Guardian
The release of the Soil Association Organic Market Report last month was enough to make any organics believer splutter over their Duchy Originals muesli. It confirmed that overall sales of organic food and drink are down. But there is a glimmer of hope – it just means looking beyond the headline figures and thinking inside the box. According to the organic charity, sales of organic box schemes have been growing despite the recession, with the key UK brands Abel & Cole and Riverford taking their share of a 10.3% increase.
Abel & Cole in particular is in rude health, with a 20% boost in turnover and 50,000 weekly deliveries under its belt. Not bad for a sub-sector many shoppers once considered the retail equivalent of making your own pasta – very worthy, but often not worth the faff.
Post-horsemeat scandal, perhaps it's not surprising that we are seeking out producers with a short, transparent supply chain. "The people that buy into these schemes are the people that are really passionate about good food," explains Jim Twine, the business development director at the Soil Association. "With many of them you can have the farmer pick the produce in the morning, put it in the box and [it will] be with you the same day. And it's all underpinned with the assurance that the produce is certified organic."
There is also the fact that people who buy into the organic ethos are finding it harder to get Soil Association-certified food in supermarkets, because some retailers have stripped back their organic lines since the economic downturn.
"Organic enthusiasts are looking for a wider range of organic products than can be found in their local Tesco," says the sustainable food consultant Simon Wright. "This has led to the rise in organic sales at Waitrose, specialist retailers such as Planet Organic and box schemes."
But the most convincing reason for the rise in box scheme sales is the fact that these days they're a whole lot easier to use. Anyone who tried one in the 90s will remember that the only food on offer was seasonal. The warm glow that came from such a conscientious choice was swiftly followed by the horror of trying to make dinner from a box full of celeriac flanked by a couple of small onions.
Luckily, most modern box schemes recognise that customers come in varying shades of green. So, those wholly committed to a seasonal, minimum food miles diet can have their British-grown celeriac in winter – while everyone else can accompany it with organic salad vegetables sourced from overseas. Or you can log into your account online and make it clear you never want to see any celeriac (or turnips, or salsify) again as long as you live.
"There is no doubt that box schemes have got very good at offering great customer service," says Twine. "You can exclude items you don't like and hold the deliveries so you're not committed to a box every single week."
They've also been smart enough to recognise that unusual fruit and vegetables provide snobbery points for adventurous cooks seeking out-of-the-ordinary dinner party recipes. So that celeriac arrives in the box with a wodge of food porn demonstrating how to turn it into something special for guests. Suddenly obscure veg becomes a foodie focus rather than a pain in the bum.
Experts say that shoppers are abandoning the 'big food shop' for the convenience of home deliveries ordered online. And since these shoppers aren't brand loyal, and Abel & Cole et al now offer meat, eggs, washing liquid and loo paper as well as veg, there's no reason box schemes can't win more floating voters.
Because of this potential, a sector built by "a bunch of belligerent, value-driven farmers", as Guy Watson from Riverford puts it, is attracting some big corporate names. Last year Tesco, not a retailer widely known for its environmental ethos, sneaked its own scheme into London called Soil & Seed. It is currently pausing "for IT development", but promises to return in 2013 as a competitor to Abel & Cole – which, incidentally, was acquired last year by the company behind Auntie Bessie's.
It's fair to say that some people won't care if the people backing their organic boxes are a major retailer or a matronly cartoon cook famous for microwaveable Yorkshire puds. But it might be uneasy reading for the conscientious consumers who believe that these schemes can circumnavigate the current supply chain and help build a truly sustainable alternative to the supermarkets.
Are you a fan of box schemes? And are they as ethical as they used to be?
Posted by Matt Chittock for the Guardian.
Abel & Cole in particular is in rude health, with a 20% boost in turnover and 50,000 weekly deliveries under its belt. Not bad for a sub-sector many shoppers once considered the retail equivalent of making your own pasta – very worthy, but often not worth the faff.
Post-horsemeat scandal, perhaps it's not surprising that we are seeking out producers with a short, transparent supply chain. "The people that buy into these schemes are the people that are really passionate about good food," explains Jim Twine, the business development director at the Soil Association. "With many of them you can have the farmer pick the produce in the morning, put it in the box and [it will] be with you the same day. And it's all underpinned with the assurance that the produce is certified organic."
There is also the fact that people who buy into the organic ethos are finding it harder to get Soil Association-certified food in supermarkets, because some retailers have stripped back their organic lines since the economic downturn.
"Organic enthusiasts are looking for a wider range of organic products than can be found in their local Tesco," says the sustainable food consultant Simon Wright. "This has led to the rise in organic sales at Waitrose, specialist retailers such as Planet Organic and box schemes."
But the most convincing reason for the rise in box scheme sales is the fact that these days they're a whole lot easier to use. Anyone who tried one in the 90s will remember that the only food on offer was seasonal. The warm glow that came from such a conscientious choice was swiftly followed by the horror of trying to make dinner from a box full of celeriac flanked by a couple of small onions.
Luckily, most modern box schemes recognise that customers come in varying shades of green. So, those wholly committed to a seasonal, minimum food miles diet can have their British-grown celeriac in winter – while everyone else can accompany it with organic salad vegetables sourced from overseas. Or you can log into your account online and make it clear you never want to see any celeriac (or turnips, or salsify) again as long as you live.
"There is no doubt that box schemes have got very good at offering great customer service," says Twine. "You can exclude items you don't like and hold the deliveries so you're not committed to a box every single week."
They've also been smart enough to recognise that unusual fruit and vegetables provide snobbery points for adventurous cooks seeking out-of-the-ordinary dinner party recipes. So that celeriac arrives in the box with a wodge of food porn demonstrating how to turn it into something special for guests. Suddenly obscure veg becomes a foodie focus rather than a pain in the bum.
Experts say that shoppers are abandoning the 'big food shop' for the convenience of home deliveries ordered online. And since these shoppers aren't brand loyal, and Abel & Cole et al now offer meat, eggs, washing liquid and loo paper as well as veg, there's no reason box schemes can't win more floating voters.
Because of this potential, a sector built by "a bunch of belligerent, value-driven farmers", as Guy Watson from Riverford puts it, is attracting some big corporate names. Last year Tesco, not a retailer widely known for its environmental ethos, sneaked its own scheme into London called Soil & Seed. It is currently pausing "for IT development", but promises to return in 2013 as a competitor to Abel & Cole – which, incidentally, was acquired last year by the company behind Auntie Bessie's.
It's fair to say that some people won't care if the people backing their organic boxes are a major retailer or a matronly cartoon cook famous for microwaveable Yorkshire puds. But it might be uneasy reading for the conscientious consumers who believe that these schemes can circumnavigate the current supply chain and help build a truly sustainable alternative to the supermarkets.
Are you a fan of box schemes? And are they as ethical as they used to be?
Posted by Matt Chittock for the Guardian.
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