Industry analysis from Fresh Produce Journal
Analysis and insight for the UK fresh produce business.
‘Overemphasis on local provenance is harming European apple consumption’
Blue Whale’s Marc Peyres argues for eating quality to be prioritised over provenance as apple consumption falls in European markets
Comment: Fresh produce is hugely important and woefully undervalued
New technologies could transform fruit and veg supply, but the business must overcome its damaging perception problem
Biotech firms point to sustainability benefits of NGTs
The EU’s ruling on new genomic techniques is no silver bullet, according to Hudson River, but it provides a tool to help develop better adapted varieties more quickly
Heat, drought and shorter harvest windows put UK produce under pressure
Nationwide Produce marketing and communications director Rebecca Fox explores how repeated heatwaves and prolonged drought are slowing crop development, placing water supplies under pressure, causing quality issues, and squeezing harvest windows
Different country, different rights: the India lesson for breeders
Tomer Biran, a legal consultant specialising in varietal protection, outlines the best approach in a fast-growing market like India where varietal rights cannot always be taken for granted
Conversations
Fruitbox 117 · Hein Deprez, Greenyard
Greenyard’s founder discusses the company’s recent privatisation and explains why he sees an urgent need to redefine healthy eating
Fruitbox 116 · Mark Landini, Landini Associates
Sydney-based retail consultant explains how supermarkets can reconnect with customers through better design, storytelling, and a renewed focus on food
Fruitbox 115 · Daniel Sauvaitre & Philippe Binard, World Apple & Pear Association
Recorded live at Prognosfruit 2025, the latest episode of Fruitbox brings you instant reaction to this year’s European apple and pear production forecasts
Comment: As ripening tech matures, what next for avocados?
Experts predict even more dramatic changes for the fruit’s supply network, as rapid market growth continues
Comment: Why gene-editing is a must in bananas
Climate change and disease pressure are making gene-editing increasingly important to the future success of the banana sector, argues agri-scientist James Dale
Comment: Can science help save bananas, the world’s favourite fruit?
In an extract from his new book The Future of Bananas, Australian agri-scientist Professor James Dale explains why a lack of genetic diversity and an overreliance on a single variety have put bananas at risk of commercial extinction
Comment: What's changed in fresh produce in the last 36 years? Quite a lot…
Promar International divisional director John Giles reflects on huge transformations in international fruit and vegetable sector
Comment: Fresh produce business pays price of Brexit division
As UK marks decade since it voted to leave EU, Freshfel’s Philippe Binard reflects on bruising ten years for produce traders
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Health continues to drive UK produce sales
Health is becoming more ingrained in UK shoppers’ choices, according to Worldpanel’s Clara Tucker, as flat consumer confidence fails to dent a growing health trend
Crop association collaboration ‘more important than ever’
British Growers CEO John Walgate makes the case for the country’s horticulture crop associations to continue working together more closely as cost pressures build
The question for UK growers today is: ’What can I grow that will not make a loss?’
Nationwide Produce chairman Tim O’Malley reflects on major challenges for growers and government as potato producers are forced to dump large volumes of crop amid overproduction in Europe
European peach and nectarine forecast up 8 per cent
Europe’s peach and nectarine production looks set to recover this season, thanks to favourable growing conditions
Comment: Why climate action in food and farming can’t wait
Soil health, water availability and biodiversity are not abstract environmental concepts; they are the foundations of food security, writes McCain CSO Charlie Angelakos
Growing more in the UK won’t solve food security, warns FPC
Trade body raises concerns that the new EU-UK reset deal, and calls to produce more domestically, threaten UK imports from further afield
Focus on progress over perfection
When it comes to encouraging consumers to eat more fruit and vegetables, demanding too much too quickly has an unfortunate tendency to backfire, says Barbara Bray of Alo Solutions
Comment: 4p veg promotions hurt the whole supply chain
Jim Padfield of Essex potato grower H Padfield & Sons highlights the overlooked impact of the major multiples’ 4p veg promotions on the wholesale and foodservice sectors
Comment: The £74 banana is a good look for fresh produce
A new campaign designed to expose over-priced cosmetics offers plenty of hope for the fruit and veg business
‘Senior talent must adapt to new realities of fresh produce job market’
A number of jobless directors are searching for their next challenge following some high-profile mergers and restructures in the sector, but the job market they’re entering isn’t the same one they left