GrowSave is going to expand the existing programme that it currently provides for Protected Edibles and Protected Ornamentals to incorporate Soft Fruit. The Soft Fruit sector’s first real exposure to GrowSave was the Fruit Focus event on 25 July where GrowSave shared a stand with AHDB. This event is one of the main shows for the Soft Fruit industry and there was a steady stream of people throughout the day. Over the next 12 months, we will be releasing some sector-specific content, as well as updating previous editions of Technical Updates to cater to the new audience. There will also be a Soft Fruit focused training workshop towards the end of this year, more information about this event will be released soon so keep an eye on the website. GrowSave has already had some involvement with the Soft Fruit sector, having organised a study tour to Belgium and the Netherlands in early 2017, and we hope to build on the relationships developed.

In other news, the supermarket Lidl is launching a new initiative in a bid to reduce food waste, as it aims to achieve its target of a 25% reduction per store by 2020. The ‘Too Good to Waste’ boxes will contain around 5kg of fruit and vegetables that are past their best but still fine to eat. In doing so, around 10,000 tonnes of surplus produce could be redistributed.

You can read more about Lidl’s ‘Too Good to Waste’ scheme here and stay tuned for more information about GrowSave’s work in the Soft Fruit sector.