UK fruit, veg sales continue to drop

Fruit and vegetables prices in the UK have dropped to a four-year low-to the detriment of farmers- y…

Fruit and vegetables prices in the UK have dropped to a four-year low-to the detriment of farmers- yet, sales continue to decrease. Fruit sales have fallen 14 per cent and veg sales five per cent between 2007 and 2014.

The National Farmers’ Union says stores have failed to keep a government-backed pledge to boost healthy food sales. That would help to combat Britain’s obesity crisis which is costing the NHS £5.1billion a year.

It wants fruit and veg placed beside ready meals and at checkouts, and including in “lunchtime meal deals” and “snack ready” products. It is also calling for increased fruit and veg in ready meals.

Farmers say supermarkets have a “moral responsibility” to boost healthy food sales and fight the obesity crisis.

Research by the shopping website mySupermarket shows vegetable prices have dropped by 8 per cent since May 2012 and fruit by 3.1 per cent. Yet families in the UK are eating just three of the five recommended portions of fruit and vegetables a day, according to the National Farmers Union.

Growers caught in the middle of an increasingly bitter price war between high street stores say supermarkets have used their market power to push down prices.

The supermarket price war comes after discount chains like Aldi and Lidl grabbed a 10 per cent share of the grocery market in recent years, mainly at the expense of big name stores.