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Food Price Pressure To Persist As Industry Sounds Alarm
UK food prices are expected to remain under significant pressure through 2027, as the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) warns that the cost of a weekly supermarket shop could reach nearly £150 by next summer. A combination of high energy costs, extreme weather, and rising regulatory costs are prolonging the difficult outlook with fruit and vegetable prices already experiencing some of the biggest cost increases this year, reports The Telegraph. The FDF forecasts that food infla
Oddbox Turning 10 Reflects Growing Value Of Alternative Routes To Market
Fresh produce surplus specialist Oddbox is marking its 10th anniversary, highlighting the importance of alternative routes to market for UK fruit and vegetable growers whose edible crops fail to meet retail specifications. Image: Oddbox Over the past decade, Oddbox has rescued more than 67,000 tonnes of produce that could have been wasted thanks to its sourcing model, reports Grocery Gazette. During that time, Oddbox has expanded from a small south London operation into a bu
Sainsbury’s Halves Organic Produce Prices For Nectar Shoppers
Sainsbury’s is putting eight organic fresh produce lines, including some British-sourced organic vegetables, on half-price promotion in the latest round of its September Nectar shopper loyalty campaign. Image: Sainsbury's The four-day promotion, which runs from Thursday 10 September to Sunday 13 September, includes a mix of core vegetable categories alongside bananas and kiwifruit, reports GB News. The move provides further evidence of the prominent role that loyalty-linked p
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Calls for action as UK vegetable self-sufficiency falls to 55%
Britain's declining food self-sufficiency has prompted renewed calls to strengthen domestic production, while the Fresh Produce Consortium's warnings about global supply risks underline the importance of protecting access to overseas sources. New NFU analysis, published on Back British Farming Day, reveals that UK self-sufficiency fell in 10 of the 11 food commodities examined between 1995 and 2024. The union is urging ministers to set ambitious targets for homegrown food. Fr
Heatwaves Wipe Out Up To 40% Of Peppers As Lea Valley Growers Face Cost Crisis
Lea Valley growers have reported pepper losses of up to 40% after summer heatwaves damaged crops, adding to the financial pressure on businesses already struggling with soaring production costs. The Lea Valley Growers' Association, whose members produce around three-quarters of Britain's cucumbers and sweet peppers in glasshouses across London, Essex and Hertfordshire, told the BBC that 27,000kg of peppers had been lost over 10 weeks of picking. Association director Jimmy Rus
New Crops Take Root As British Growers Adapt To A Changing Climate
British growers are exploring alternative crops as hotter, drier summers put pressure on familiar produce, with coffee trials and research into gene-edited soya among the developments highlighted by The Telegraph. Its report examines how agriculture could adapt, while warning that growing something successfully does not guarantee a market. GB Potatoes chief executive Scott Walker highlighted retailers' preferences for established varieties as a barrier to introducing more dro
Fresh Produce Value Takes Centre Stage As Retail Growth Slows
New retail figures show subdued spending growth despite improving consumer confidence, as M&S cuts organic fruit and vegetable prices. Britain’s food retailers are navigating an uneven consumer recovery, with new figures showing modest sales growth as households weigh grocery spending against mounting financial pressures. The BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor, published on 8 September, showed total UK retail sales increased by 0.7 per cent year on year in August. Food sales rose
British Carrot Harvest Faces 30% Yield Hit After Punishing Dry Season
Repeated heatwaves, irrigation restrictions and soaring production costs have left UK carrot growers facing one of their most difficult seasons. British carrot growers are braced for yield losses of between 15 and 30 per cent following an exceptionally hot and dry growing season. The British Carrot Growers Association said early heatwaves in May and June created severe establishment problems, killing newly germinated carrots in some areas and forcing producers to re-drill fie
M&S Targets Organic Growth With £4m Price-Cutting Drive
Retailer lowers prices across more than 50 organic products as it seeks to make the category more accessible and capture a larger share of the growing market. Marks & Spencer is investing more than £4 million to reduce prices across its organic range, including a broad selection of fresh fruit and vegetables. More than 50 organic products are included in the initiative, with organic garlic now starting at 70p and a bag of organic carrots priced at 90p. Among the fresh produce
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