Suppliers round-up

Rotten reseller convicted

The man who sold rotten and rancid chicken to schools, hospitals, care homes and supermarkets has been convicted and now faces jail.

Peter Roberts, who was found guilty in his absence and who is believed to be abroad, fraudulently sold chicken through Denby Poultry Products between 1995 and 2001.

Nottingham Crown Court was told that the meat was fit only for animal consumption or fertiliser use and came from a factory that was often infested with rats and flooded by sewage.

An estimated £836,000-worth of substandard meat got into the food chain before an investigation began.

Roberts bought the meat for £25 per tonne and sold it on for as much as £1,500 per tonne.

Tomato suppliers warn of shortage

Suppliers of tomatoes and tinned tomato products are warning caterers that prices are to rise after this year's hot summer left Europe parched and crops devastated.

Remmelt Jongkind, general manager with tinned tomato giant Napolina, even warned that, across the industry, only 70% or 80% of contracts would be fulfilled.

He said: "The problem is that there was a poor harvest last year, so there is no stock to carry over to cover any problems this year.

"This year is looking interesting, too, as temperatures of more than 35°C have caused flowers to fall from the crop."

Predictions put the total Italian harvest at about 4.5 million tonnes, compared to a historical average of 5.2 million tonnes.

Phillip Britten, managing director of fresh fruit and vegetable supplier Solstice, agreed the heat had caused problems across Europe.

In Britain, farmers are warning that potatoes will be very small, due to the lack of moisture, while across Europe yields of major crops such as wheat, maize, olives and sunflowers will also be down.

Mushroom growers set for bonanza

One crop set to triumph from the heat is Scotland's penny bun mushroom.

The exceptional summer, if it is now followed by a typically wet autumn, will have provided perfect growing conditions for Boletus edulis, which can fetch £15 per kilogram. But while the bumper crop will delight chefs and commercial harvesters (who often travel to Scotland from as far afield as France and Italy), the Scottish Wild Mushroom Forum last week issued a pickers' code to protect the environment from the impact of a new breed of amateur harvesters.

A spokesman said that new interest in food and the promotion of wild produce by chefs had led to a wave of pickers descending on woodlands, often trampling the delicate fungi and potentially destroying rare species.