No longer the sole domain of chefs in posh restaurants, herbs have found their way to the masses and are becoming ever more popular with food manufacturers. But supplying them is by no means a straightforward process, as demonstrated recently by a Food Standards Agency (FSA) investigation into how fresh basil imported from Israel ended up in supermarkets with an unhealthy sprinkling of salmonella.
The FSA believes contamination occurred at the point of production rather than in the UK supply chain, but it's reinforced advice to manufacturers that every effort should be made to ensure products are free from pathogens.
Food safety is a key issue within the herb industry, says Spring Thyme Oil's sales and marketing director Ken Williams.
"More food manufacturers are becoming concerned about the levels of bacteria in fresh herbs," he says. "Our herb infused oils are a good alternative because we pasteurise the herbs within the oil, so there's a low microbe count."
That's probably one of the reasons why the firm's sales volumes have quadrupled in the last five years. It could also be that oils are far easier for manufacturers to handle than large volumes of fresh herbs. "There's the issue of weighing the herbs - it's a bit of a fiddle," says Williams.
During the UK growing season, the company buys from farms in East Anglia, while out of season it purchases from north west Africa, Spain, Israel and China. The firm and its suppliers follow the standards set by Eurepgap, a private sector body that lays down voluntary standards for the certification of agricultural products around the globe. A pre-farmgate standard, Eurepgap certification covers the process from before the seed is planted until it leaves the farm.
Herb supplier Scobie & Junor also has food safety down as a top priority. Director Gordon Wicklow explains: "The more you touch the product, the more it is likely to become contaminated. We were working across five different sites, but now we've consolidated at a new facility where 80% of the weight we process isn't touched by anyone. It's weighed out, conveyed, mixed and packed automatically."
Robert Wilson, md at Scotherbs, claims that every herb sample undergoes exhaustive checks before an order is despatched to customers.
"Auditing is becoming the bane of our lives - you can't do this, you can't do that. But if the customer wants it, then they get it," he says. "If you say 'no', then they'll find someone else who will. It's our company policy to say 'yes' and then work out how to do it."
Finding the x-factor
Scotherbs supplies 50% of Tesco stores in the UK, as well as Scotbeef and Bakkavör. The company also offers additional services to meet customers increasingly exacting demands.
"Within the last two years, we've started a washed and chopped facility where we can supply fresh herbs in any format. Everybody orders different lengths of sprigs because they all want a point of difference," says Wilson.
Herbs Unlimited also uses its expertise to help food manufacturers differentiate their products. "I don't help manufacturers with product development, but if they ask for my advice, then I'm honest with them," says md Alison Dodd.
"For example, if they ask for stripped rosemary leaf, then I'll explain that it's very expensive so they'd probably be better off using sprigs."
Passionate about her flavours, Dodd has a list of less common herbs that she'd like to introduce to the industry, such as lemon verbena, but claims that food manufacturers are still getting to grips with more pedestrian varieties.
She believes a seriously under-exploited area is herbs in desserts. Despite her best efforts nobody has yet been brave enough to rise to the challenge of adding herb seasonings to fruit salads. Manufacturers might complain about cost, she says, but falling prices are in fact driving herbs to commodity levels.
Better know-how
Herbs may be becoming more affordable, but Wicklow notes that there is often a knowledge gap where blends are concerned. The key challenge for manufacturers is knowing how to formulate mixes, he says. "A burger would fall apart completely if you didn't have the knowledge."
Herb infused oil, for example, works fine as a marinade, but oil in a sausage mix would be a disaster. "Infused oils tend to be one flavour, whereas we use between eight and 20 [dried herbs] per mix," he says.
"Because we're dealing with a lot of smaller manufacturers, you tend to find their production systems aren't set up like larger firms. We show them how to make consistent products."
Understanding the correct way to blend a sausage mix is vital to making a tasty product. "In a sausage, you mince the meat, blend the ingredients, add water and then blend again. It makes a big difference if manufacturers add the ingredients in the wrong order," says Wicklow. "Mix it for too long and you can end up with too fine a blend; don't mix it for long enough and you'll get an uneven distribution."
As well as assisting in new product development, Scobie & Junor works with customers to help them reformulate their products in the light of healthy eating trends.
The government's target to reduce the average salt intake to 6g per day by 2010 has had a big impact.
"If you take salt away, you tend to have to reduce everything so that there aren't any overwhelming flavours," says Wicklow. Reformulating is more difficult than developing products from scratch because you have to watch the flavour profile, he adds.
He points out that in order to avoid expensive product recalls, the company's largest customers are using its organic ingredients in non-organic products, just because they know there's nothing artificial in them.
"We work to BRC [British Retail Consortium] accreditation and the Organic Farmers and Growers Association," he says. "We only purchase from people with those standards. It forces you down a much smaller range of suppliers, but at least you know it's right. Organic makes up 10% of our business, but we are fully expecting it to be 50% in the next year."
Organic herbs may be an area of growth, but not all manufacturers are convinced of their worth. Scotherbs' Wilson claims: "The organic boys are scoring because they're so small that the herbs are out of the ground and in the van on the same day.
"People think it tastes great because it's organic, but the real reason is because the herbs are so fresh."
Lasting the distance
But he admits that getting fresh herbs out of retailers and into homes before they lose their flavour is a key issue for the industry. Keeping products farm fresh is also a problem for processors because their short shelf-life means they wilt if the correct temperature is not maintained in storage and transport.
"We can crack most things, but the supply of raw materials is a real problem because it's a very perishable product - you can't just leave fresh herbs lying in the corner."
In future, he believes there will be reasonable demand for fresh chopped herbs, but claims the market's growth will be held back unless the industry's delivery problems can be solved.
Dodd agrees that the short lifespan of fresh herbs is an issue. "I know manufacturers like to have 12 month's continuity so they don't run out in winter, but there's a strong case for seasonality," she claims.
The main disadvantage of fresh herbs is that you can't stock up on them, so when the weather plays up it can spell disaster for suppliers. "The recent bad weather is creating big problems for fresh producers," says Dodd. "Food manufacturers have to understand that we can't control the weather."
The company has back-up suppliers, but even those can fall through, she says. For this reason, it is vital for herb suppliers to maintain a close relationship with manufacturers and give them plenty of warning if they are unable to meet an order.
Inspite of their shortcomings, Dodd is convinced that fresh herbs will be creeping up food manufacturers' agendas for the foreseeable future, not least because celebrity chefs and foodie TV programmes will continue to keep herbs in the public eye.
"TV has had a huge impact on their popularity and processing herbs has definitely increased over the last few years. People are really waking up to them." FM
Key Contacts
- Herbs Unlimited 01845 587694
- Scobie & Junor 01335 237041
- Scotherbs 01382 360642
- Spring Thyme Oils 01282 682100