Markets news from Fresh Produce Journal
Essential stories, analysis and research from UK’s fresh produce markets, with a focus on retail, wholesale, marketing, and consumers.
Picota cherry campaign delivers highest volumes in three years
Agrupación de Cooperativas del Valle del Jerte reports a successful Picota season despite of climate uncertainty and competition from other cherry origins
Morrisons launch Winnie the Pooh themed fruit range
Reatiler’s tie-in with Disney hoped to encourage children to eat fruit as they return to school
Sunkist and Vidafresh unite to boost UK citrus presence
The strategic alliance will relaunch premium Sunkist-branded citrus across the UK market, laying the groundwork for broader European distribution
Brits throw away £163mn worth of blueberries every year
British households throw away enough blueberries annually to fill Battersea Power Station turbine hall from floor to ceiling
Fresh Direct celebrates 60 years of foodservice supply
Leading foodservice supplier reflects on growth from small Oxfordshire greengrocer to supplying thousands across foodservice
Nanna Tate launches microwaveable baby potatoes
Branston potato brand launch ‘Buttery Tates’, responding to demand for convenience, easy prep and new flavour profiles
New Spitalfields Market unveils London’s largest rooftop solar installation
City Corporation switches on £1m solar array in a bid to reduce market’s reliance on grid power
Heat hits shelf-life of Belgian tomatoes
Belgian tomato growers have faced shelf-life issues in recent weeks due to repeated heatwaves, making nearby markets like the UK especially attractive
Aldi launches strawberry deal following heatwave
Sunshine boosts summer crop as discounter seeks to alleviate crop pressure
Driscoll’s first chief communications officer Frances Dillard departs
Executive played pivotal role in transforming Driscoll’s from North American berry business into widely recognised global brand
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Marks & Spencer launches exclusive Tiqi seedless grapes
Positioned as an everyday snacking option, Tiqi is sold in 400g grab-and-go pots
RedPop steps up UK marketing with Supergirl partnership
Apple brand targets consumers with wide-reaching summer campaign to strengthen its convenience positioning
Digipal launches bluetooth plastic crates for supply chain tracking
Leading plastic pallet supplier’s new sustainable crates designed to help businesses prioritise speed
New 21-day UK-China shipping route to open in autumn
A new route linking six major Chinese ports with Felixstowe will use the Northern Sea Route through the Arctic to significantly cut transit time for time-sensitive goods
Love British Food partners with Red Tractor
Tie-up aims to combine the reach of both networks ahead of British Food Fortnight to boost support for homegrown produce across both consumers and industry
Frozen fruit sales outpace fresh during heatwave
Frozen fruit sales rose by almost 50 per cent in the last four weeks while shoppers replaced ’cooking with grazing’ to cope with heat and inflation eased for fifth month running, new figures show
French heatwaves exacerbate drought conditions
Farmers are in survival mode across much of France, as heatwaves and drought continue to hamper production, with low harvests anticipated as a result
Drought expected to shrink English potato yields
Heatwaves and drought conditions are likely to reduce yields and tuber size of the English potato crop, while Scotland could still see average harvest due to higher rainfall
Oddbox rescues 6,000 sunburnt caulis after retailer rejections
Veg box company is seeing increased demand for its buying services as pest damage, cosmetic defects and crop flushes caused by heatwaves leave growers without a market
Staay offers alternative to traditional iceberg lettuce
Extreme summer conditions across Europe are putting pressure on iceberg lettuce supplies, but Staay Food Group believes it has the perfect substitute