Veg boxes - would you buy one?

[alan refail]

In last Saturday's Telegraph there was a short article by Rose Prince extolling the virtues of the organic veg box.

One of the things she said was: "The benefits of a box scheme begin with freshness; often the farm will pick or lift vegetables only one day before deliveries are made while a supermarket will keep produce in cold storage for days if not weeks."

I was tempted to test this by looking at two of the most well-known (and well-publicised) companies. A couple of examples:

One company offers the following for this week:

Large mixed box for £18.50
Lettuce
Bunched Garlic
Yellow Onions
Pineapple
Mini Cucumber
Radish
Spring Greens
Spring Onions
Valor Potatoes
Carrots
Oranges
Asparagus
Pumpkin Squash
Apples
Bananas

How much of that has been grown and picked locally?

Another company is more honest and states the origin of its contents:

Fruit + veg box for £16.35
onions AR
baby spinach IT
oakleaf/batavia lettuce FR
salad pack FR
2 vanilla pods UG (free)
rhubarb UK
aubergine ES
red + green pepper ES
red delicious apples AR
mango BF
oranges MA

And another thing occurred to me - why is there never any mention made of quantities? Your local supermarket would be crucified by weights and measures if they just bunged something in a package without stating the weight.

So, are these sorts of schemes the way forward for healthy fresh food buying? Or are they just a scam on gullible middle-class families?

What do you think?

[oldherbaceous]

Morning Alan, one quick thought, i'm not sure the people who buy these boxes would like to be classed as, "gullable middle-class families".

I would have thought most families are aware that the boxes are not all G.B grown.
I would like to think that families are buying into the whole concept of promoting small companies, with the added bonus of a delivery service, for which they are prepared and willing to pay for.

But i still don't know why more people don't buy from farm shops or a local greengrocer.

[Geoff]

I'm with scam or, at the very least, appalling bad value for money. Mind I think the same about supermarket vegetables!

[glallotments]

A garden centre? near us has opened what it calls a farmers' market section and sells stuff like exotic fruit, tinned, packeted goods in fact anything a corner store would sell. The gardening bit has really deteriorated since and the car park absolutely full!

[Colin Miles]

From what I remember, maybe incorrectly, Morrisons certainly pick and deliver things like broccoli to their stores, maybe on the same day. The problem that 'local' growers have is that of storage. If it is not kept cool then the greens will certainly deteriorate quickly.

[pdblak]

To be honest, if you're going to buy a box of imported veg then how do you know it isn't just the same stuff as in the supermarkets?

Might as well go get it from Tesco at half the price. I'm all for supporting smaller companies and would gladly use the local grocer had we one, but only if they offer value for money, not for the sake of it.

[Stephen]

So, are these sorts of schemes the way forward for healthy fresh food buying? Or are they just a scam on gullible middle-class families?

These are not mutually exclusive questions. At the prices you have quoted they certainly don't represent value for money.
In the past I assumed that the objective of these schemes concentrated on UK produce and organic produce (with a few additions, particularly as they often ran out of UK organic produce). What happened was (I think) that "business" got involved and concentrated on the profitability, so the ethical objectives were pushed out of the way.

[Tony Hague]

Think about it though; if this week's box were to be made up of local produce, what would you be able to fill one with ? Not wanting to justify a box full of expensive imports, but you can see the problem with the system.

This is nothing new, farm shops are full of the same sort of produce. It is a farm shop in the sense that it is a shop on a farm, not that it is a shop selling produce of the farm !

Farmer's markets at least have rules to prohibit this sort of thing, but I bet they are often 'bent'.

[Primrose]

No I wouldn't subscribe to this scheme because if I can't pick my own stuff from the garden, I like to see exactly what I'm getting and with a veg box scheme you have to have what they decide to send you. That wouldn't suit our domestic cooking programme. In the garden, if I don't want to pick it for today's meal it will stay in the soil and remain fresh for a while. In a veg box it would quickly deteriorate. Plus, as has been mentioned, when local stuff is scarce, all kinds of other stuff from further afield is included, and I like to make a personal judgement about buying such things, especially out of season, so want to remain in control of my purchases rather than having them thrust upon me.

[glallotments]

This is nothing new, farm shops are full of the same sort of produce. It is a farm shop in the sense that it is a shop on a farm, not that it is a shop selling produce of the farm !

.

But it isn't on a farm!

[alan refail]

Think about it though; if this week's box were to be made up of local produce, what would you be able to fill one with ? Not wanting to justify a box full of expensive imports, but you can see the problem with the system.

In other words, it's all a bit of a scam

[JohnT]

Think about it though; if this week's box were to be made up of local produce, what would you be able to fill one with ? Not wanting to justify a box full of expensive imports, but you can see the problem with the system.

In other words, it's all a bit of a scam

I think there are probably a few (or more than a few?) 'scammers'; no-doubt aided by a good-deal of consumer 'confusion' over what they get. How many might believe that 'vegetable box' automatically means 'organic' and/or 'local'? Maybe more than you might think; especially when aided by a little clever marketing 'suggestion'; in the same was as many do indeed believe that all farm shop produce does indeed come from that farm.

There are however some 'good guys'; proving that 'local' (if not necessarily organic) is possible all year - even if it is difficult. The one example I am aware of; 'Kent Veg Box Scheme', has been around a while and describe themselves, thus:

"Our scheme is unique in Kent because we only use 100% Kent veg, all year, guaranteed. To prove it we publish each week the source of the box contents so you can check the provenance. We only use smaller producers or organic supplies. Where our producers are not organic they are small market gardeners who do not use mass spraying of chemicals. We visit every producer to check this. WE GUARANTEE ALL OF OUR VEG BOX PRODUCE HAS BEEN SOURCED WITHIN 35 MILES."

Box contents lists are available on their website; and they have also now ventured into local meat and fish boxes. (...and not necessarily local, fruit boxes)

Neddless to say though; the scheme only operates in part of Kent and SE London!

www.kentvegbox.co.uk for more info, if required.

[alan refail]

JohnT

Having looked at their website it does show Kentvegbox as among the really good guys. They readily admit that their bananas are not local. Otherwise it looks really good.

The big "commercial boys" showcased by Rose Prince are nothing like as honest

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink ... boxes.html

[Nature's Babe]

The bananas and stuff that are in some of those boxes is there because that is what a lot of customers want. I had veg from a box scheme when I was busy nursing my mother and didn't get much winter stuff planted.
I was very pleased with it, they do do a seasons veg box which is all local and seasonal, but Alan chose not to highlight that one. They are about 20% cheaper than supermarket organic produce and quantities are good, and they deliver. also there was a free recipe leaflet in each box with ideas for interesting ways to cook their veg. They take the trouble to see the farms that supply the non british stuff: for instance the box scheme I chose is supplied with some stuff from a farm in the Vendee, it is shipped over, not flown to reduce pollution, trade is fair and they consider the welfare of their suppliers, which is more than a lot of supermarkets do. Also they supply odd shaped produce and are not as wasteful as supermarkets which sometimes reject whole fields of produce if it doesn't conform to their standards.
Riverford also support a charity that helps farmers in developing countries
in their newsletter last week
[/quote]At the beginning of last week, a Ugandan farmer appeared on our doorstep. Charles Mulwana was trained by Send a Cow (the charity whose excellent work Riverford supports) in 2004, and is now so involved with the charity’s work that he has come to Riverford to teach schoolchildren (and us) about sustainable agriculture.[/quote]
So I agree with OH, we are not all gullible, some of us think ethical and sustainable living is important.

[alan refail]

they do do a seasons veg box which is all local and seasonal, but Alan chose not to highlight that one.

Not intentionally, I assure you!
So here are the contents for this week:

Seasons veg box week beginning 9 May - £12.95

carrots UK
onions AR
oakleaf/batavia lettuce FR
summer greens UK
vine tomatoes ES
wet garlic UK
closed cup mushrooms UK
calabrese broccoli ES

I make that UK - 4; France - 1; Spain - 2; Argentina - 1

As for estimating value, that impossible if they don't give quantities.

You may think I am just being awkward, but I place my faith in honesty and truth - and they certainly give that by stating the origin of their produce - as all supermarkets do.