Coles Supermarket Group has launched a new website to inform customers of the origin of their fruit and vegetables.
According to Coles, 96 per cent of their fresh fruit and vegetables are grown in Australia but many customers still believe half the fresh produce is imported.
Of the small proportion that is imported, many customers “don’t understand why” some types of produce have to be imported at certain times of the year. This is largely a reflection of Australia’s largely urban society which has scant knowledge of agriculture and the impact of seasons and weather on product type and availability.
The Coles online calendar lists popular fruits and vegetables and shows month by month the origin of its produce. The calendar shows that lots of popular fresh fruit and vegetables such as bananas, carrots, potatoes, avocados and tomatoes are Australian grown all year round. Coles said it is the only national supermarket that can say their avocados are 100 per cent Australian all year round.
The website also has a seasonal buying guide and what to look for in good quality fruit or vegetables. The guide suggests that fruit in season in Spring includes mango, cherry and pineapple and vegetables include asparagus, radish and zucchini.
In a nice touch, the site also has a ‘meet the growers’ section with short stories about some of the growers who supply Coles supermarkets around the country. You can meet Matt, the lettuce grower from Gatton in Queensland, mango grower Leo Skliros from the Top End, the Newton Brothers Orchards in Western Australia who have had a 25 year relationship with Coles, or the Chapmans from Rocky Ponds Produce in Gumlu (between Bowen and Townsville), North Queensland (pictured) and others. Rocky Ponds mostly produces capsicums, pumpkins, rockmelons and honeydew.
“Coles is passionate about supporting Australian growers and offering our customers the freshest local produce. The problem is that many customers just don’t believe it,” the Coles Group Merchandise Director, John Durkan, said.
“Buying Australian produce generates billions of dollars for the rural economy but we are not resting on our laurels. In the last year we have replaced hundreds of millions of dollars of fresh produce imports including 200 tonnes of capsicums previously imported per year from New Zealand,” said Mr Durkan.
Coles said popular fresh fruits and vegetables that were all home grown and available at Coles all year round included: apples, avocados, bananas, broccoli, beans, cabbage, capsicums, carrots, cauliflower, herbs, lettuce, limes, brown and white mushrooms, pineapples, potatoes, spinach, tomatoes and watermelon.
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