Fyffes is calling for greater collaboration across the global banana industry, warning that rising costs throughout the supply chain are making the current model increasingly unsustainable and placing long-term development at risk. One of Europe’s largest banana and pineapple importers is urging the sector to develop a long-term sustainable model that ensures growers, producers, importers, and retailers can continue investing in the future of the category. Banana growers worl

Four UK fresh produce trading businesses and importers are visiting Zimbabwe this week to explore new sourcing opportunities and build direct relationships with growers of a diverse range of fruits and vegetables from fine beans to blueberries. Image: ITC The six-day mission, running from 26 September to 2 October, will see buyers visit Zimbabwean farms and meet producers to assess their potential to supply the UK market. The programme is being delivered through the Making T

Morocco’s fresh produce sector is well placed to meet the changing regulatory requirements in the UK and Europe, while building on the production and logistics advantages that have driven its rapid growth, as demonstrated by five Moroccan businesses reaching the FPC Fresh Awards 2026 finals. The country's brimming export potential was a key conclusion from a two-day international workshop held in Agadir in September, and hosted by Morocco Foodex, the government agency respons

El Niño is beginning to disrupt fresh produce supply chains serving the UK, affecting the availability of avocados and asparagus while creating potential risks for mangoes and grapes. With imported produce accounting for more than 80% of the UK’s fruit supply, changing weather patterns across major growing regions are placing established sourcing programmes under increasing pressure. Higher temperatures in Peru have accelerated avocado development, creating shortages of small

Morocco could become the UK’s third-largest supplier of sweet peppers as rapidly rising shipments continue to reshape the British import market. The UK imported 10,400 tonnes of Moroccan sweet peppers, valued at more than £17 million, between October 2025 and June 2026, according to figures reported by EastFruit. Shipments increased by 60% compared with the 2024/25 marketing year and were nearly three times higher than in 2023/24. Over the past three years, Moroccan sweet pep

Extreme heat affecting agricultural workers across the Mediterranean is creating a growing threat to the UK’s fresh produce supply, according to new analysis reported by The Grocer. Research by the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) found that the 22 Mediterranean countries examined supplied £18.1bn of food to the UK in 2025. This represented 26.8% of the value and 25.1% of the weight of all UK food imports. Across those countries, agricultural workers lost an estimate

A Berlin supermarket is growing salad just metres above the shelves where it is sold, in a striking example of how urban agriculture could shorten fresh produce supply chains. The REWE Green Farming store in Lankwitz is topped by a 2,760 sq m glasshouse which REWE describes as Germany’s largest rooftop farm. Its “Lankwitz loose-leaf lettuce” is grown hydroponically in an almost soil-free, largely automated system. The salad mix initially combines Batavia, green romaine, Lollo

A container ship’s arrival in the UK after travelling from China through Arctic waters could mark the start of a regular route to Europe and an alternative to the Suez Canal, including the possibility of faster supply chains for temperature-sensitive goods. The Dubai Tower reached Teesport in northeast England on Wednesday (9 September), following its landmark voyage from Ningbo Zhoushan Port in eastern China on 15 August, reports The Independent. Originally, the vessel, whi

Tropical fruit supplier Fyffes has launched an ambitious new framework to strengthen its long-term supply reliability; targeting complete regenerative agriculture integration across 13,000 hectares of its owned banana and pineapple operations by 2030. Image: Fyffes The company, one of the largest banana and pineapple importers in Europe, also plans to extend proven regenerative approaches across its wider supply chain, as it seeks to improve its climate resilience, support gr

A strengthening El Niño could add further pressure to the UK fruit and vegetable supply chain, as experts warn that up to a quarter of the country’s food imports worth £17 billion are “in the line of fire” this year, as well as domestic production. Some 86% of the UK’s fruit is imported, including a significant proportion from South America and Africa – nations that are expected to experience some of the strongest impacts from the developing El Niño, according to the Energy

Tighter residue rules proposed for EU imports of fruits and vegetables could raise costs, reduce availability, and reshape trade flows, according to new analysis by the European Commission. European consumers could face higher prices and reduced availability of imported fruit and vegetables if the European Union (EU) moves ahead with plans to prohibit traces of some pesticides that are banned for use within the bloc, reports Politico. An analysis by the European Commission's

A new United Nations report has found that the EU's own farm subsidy system has driven up the price of fruit and vegetables, making healthy diets harder to afford across Europe. The Fresh Produce Consortium (FPC) says the finding lands at exactly the wrong moment for the UK-EU Reset — which would layer EU-style border checks onto Rest of World fresh produce, adding cost and friction to the very foods the UN says Europe most needs to make cheaper. According to the FAO's annual

France is facing shortages of onions and other fresh produce after successive heatwaves inflicted severe damage on crops across the country. Growers have warned shoppers to expect reduced availability in the coming weeks following what the French produce sector has described as a “catastrophic year”, according to The Telegraph. Onions are among the crops most seriously affected, alongside shallots, carrots, leeks, fennel, radishes and garlic. Soft fruit production has also su

Costa Rica is bringing its bananas, pineapples, coffee and cassava to the attention of millions of European consumers through an ambitious campaign spanning Amazon’s digital channels and hundreds of in-store tasting events. The country’s official nation brand, essential COSTA RICA, has launched the second phase of “The Natural Choice” across the UK, Germany and Spain, using a combination of video content, recipes, product sampling and interactive experiences to promote the qu

UK exporters supplying Gibraltar could face significant new costs, delays and disruption from Wednesday, 15 July, as sweeping sanitary and phytosanitary controls are introduced under the UK–EU Gibraltar Treaty. In a high-priority notification circulated to industry representatives late on Friday, Defra warned that plant health-regulated goods may no longer be able to travel directly from the UK to Gibraltar. Instead, products subject to SPS controls are expected to enter thro

Morrisons has launched a new international sourcing division as it seeks to expand its overseas revenues and grow the customer base of its manufacturing operation. According to The Grocer, the new business, named Myton International, will offer sourcing, product development and manufacturing services to retailers and food brands in markets outside the UK. The division forms part of Myton Food Group, Morrisons’ vertically integrated food manufacturing business, which operates

Maersk is preparing to send its first cargo through the Suez Canal and Red Sea since the start of the Iran war, in a move that could mark an important step towards easing pressure on global shipping routes. According to the Financial Times, AP Moller-Maersk, the world’s second-largest container shipping line, has said the Maersk Majestic, currently in the Gulf of Oman, is set to take the Red Sea route rather than sail around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope. The decision follows fr

Morocco has posted record mandarin exports to the UK for the second consecutive year, continuing to rapidly expand its market presence and increasing pressure on Spain’s traditional dominance in the category. Recent trade data analysed by EastFruit indicates that Moroccan mandarin exports to the UK rose to 71,600 tonnes between October 2025 and April 2026, garnering more than £60 million in sales. The total represents a rise of nearly 20% compared with the previous season, m

Andalucia is stepping up efforts to strengthen its position in the UK fresh produce market, after organising a major trade mission in London designed to bring Spanish fruit and vegetable suppliers closer to British importers, distributors and buying centres. The initiative, led by Andalucía TRADE, the public business agency of the Junta de Andalucía, brought together six Andalusian fruit and vegetable companies with 25 UK importers and major purchasing centres in the agri-foo

Greece is set to bring in up to 5,000 seasonal farm workers from Egypt as it seeks to address persistent labour shortages that are affecting agricultural production across the country. The move activates a bilateral agreement between Greece and Egypt that was signed in 2022 but has only recently begun to be implemented at scale. Under the scheme, Egyptian nationals will be able to take up legal seasonal employment in Greek agriculture, helping growers fill vacancies that dome