Sainsbury?s scooped the Q award in fresh produce and won the coveted Gold Q for its innovative Living Salad. Here we learn how the product made it onto the retailer?s shelves

Andrew Johnson and his award-winning Living Salad

Innovation at its finest was how judges described Sainsbury?s Living Salad, a tray of growing oriental baby leaves, including red chard, pak choi, tatsoi and golden streaks, ready for the consumer to harvest at home.

Developed by the aptly named, Home Harvest Salads, it took a leap of faith by both the retailer and consumer to get the product listed and selling on supermarket shelves.

Living Salad was conceived by Andrew Johnson while he was working in Portugal as the production director for Vitacress bagged salads. It was there he discovered the taste of rocket that was freshly picked from the fields.

?The benefits in terms of flavour and zing that you get from something that is freshly picked is completely different,? he says. At the same time, Johnson was aware of the growing negativity surrounding bagged salads such as the use of chlorine inwashing.

His initial concept was to harvest baby leaves like blocks of turf. This plan was soon modified and cues were taken from the potted herb producers to grow the baby leaves in individual trays.

Johnson took what he believed was a slightly crazy idea along to Marks & Spencer. ?I thought they were going to laugh at me because it was so different,? he recalls. He couldn?t have been more wrong. Ten minutes after leaving the meeting, M&S was on the phone asking for exclusivity on the line.

?Then the Philip Green saga happened and new product development was put on hold,? he says.

With hindsight, Johnson believes it was probably one of the best things that happened since the product was ultimately launched in Sainsbury?s, a retailer with exactly the right kind of customer base for the product. Living Salad has subsequently been introduced to Booths and an organic version has been developed for Asda and Tesco.

And, development continues apace. Living Rocket has just been launched in Sainsbury?s stores. On the back of Living Salad, which introduced consumers both to a new concept and unusual baby leaf varieties, Johnson reckons Living Rocket will be an easier step for shoppers to make.

Within the major supermarkets, meanwhile, Living Salad?s Q awards have helped to raise its profile.

?It meant a lot to Sainsbury?s on the night,? says Johnson. ?They texted the result to Justin King who was in South Africa. I?d be nervous about texting my boss at that time unless it was important.?