UK Apple Prices Outpace Bananas As Cost Pressures Bite Into Supply Chain

UK shoppers are paying noticeably more for apples — and in many cases, more than they are for bananas shipped halfway across the world. The price gap may seem surprising at first glance, but it reflects a complex mix of supermarket pricing tactics and mounting pressures within the fresh produce supply chain.

Data from the Office for National Statistics, cited by The Guardian, shows the average price of a kilo of dessert apples has been higher than bananas for more than 20 years. At the end of January 2025, apples were retailing at an average of £2.14 per kilo, compared with £1.02 for bananas. Wholesale prices tell a similar story: on 20 January, UK-grown apples were trading at £1.23 per kilo, versus 98p for bananas.

On the face of it, it seems counterintuitive that a domestically grown fruit can cost more than one transported thousands of miles. But bananas occupy a unique position in British supermarkets. They are one of the country’s best-selling fresh items and are frequently used as a “loss leader” — priced aggressively, sometimes below cost, to pull shoppers through the doors. Retail competition around bananas is fierce, and margins are often wafer thin.

Apples, by contrast, do not benefit from the same commercial strategy. Almost 60 per cent of apples sold in the UK are imported, with a sizeable proportion arriving from countries such as New Zealand — a far longer journey than most banana imports. The comparison underlines how global trade structures and retail tactics can outweigh simple assumptions about distance and transport costs.

Meanwhile, growers face sustained cost pressures. Since the easing of pandemic restrictions and amid ongoing global instability, input costs including fertiliser, plant protection products and energy have risen sharply. Energy remains particularly challenging, especially for cold storage and packhouse operations. Electricity transmission fees for high-intensity users are due to increase by more than 60 per cent from April 2026, adding further strain.

The effect is filtering through to consumers. Independent retail data shows packaged apple prices have risen by around 17 per cent since 2021 — compared with an increase of roughly 6 per cent for bananas over the same period. Some retailers have also reduced pack sizes while maintaining or raising prices, a practice commonly described as “shrinkflation”.

Shoppers are responding accordingly. Some are switching to larger value packs, while others are trimming apple purchases in favour of lower-priced alternatives. Yet industry bodies argue that even today’s retail prices do not fully cover the genuine cost of production.

British Apples & Pears has warned that without improved returns to growers, the long-term sustainability of UK orchards could be under pressure. Unless pricing structures better reflect underlying costs, the shape of domestic apple production — and the balance between British and imported fruit — could shift in the years ahead.