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.
Innocent awards £1mn in grants to fruit and veg projects
Winning projects will support growers in 14 countries to adopt climate-friendly farm practices and secure the future of core ingredients in Innocent’s range, from citrus to coconut
Farm donations to food banks jump 55 per cent
Farms salvaged 228,000 tonnes of surplus produce in 2025 as global reliance on food banks increased
Charities pledge to treble food redistribution in next decade
Felix, City Harvest and The Bread and Butter Thing among the redistributors joining forces on governance, programme management, food sourcing, logistics and allocation
Lidl designs seven planet-friendly meals for £1
Recipes created with celebrity chef Miguel Barclay are designed to show shoppers how simple swaps, including adding more veg into meals, can cost less while meeting planetary and human health diet guidelines
Heatwave prompts ‘reverse comfort eating’ trend
Traditional veg sales may benefit from an unusual consumer trend for wintry classics after heatwave prompts ‘feta fatigue’, according to Waitrose
Albert Bartlett teams up with Supertato to drive family appeal
UK’s leading potato producer partners with children’s superhero for on-pack promotion offering themed prizes
Research to help cut tomato waste through smarter forecasting
Partnership between University of Portsmouth and Isle of Wight Tomatoes aims to reduce food waste, improve forecasting and boost sales
Asda launches Welsh supplier development programme
Retailer is working with Food and Drink Wales to upskill Welsh suppliers and provide insight and training into key compliance and operation processes
Co-op absorbs southern franchise to boost food stores
Co-op marks integration of Southern Co-op to strengthen the group’s food retail estate with an additional 173 stores
South African citrus industry laments further escalation of Middle East war
CGA chief executive Dr Boitshoko Ntshabele warns that the resumption of Middle East hostilities poses a serious threat to South African citrus exports
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World Cup heroes given own bodyweight in premium tomatoes
Town near Seville honours Spanish stars Fabián Ruiz and Gavi with combined 153.5kg of its flagship product
Sainsbury’s agrees 10-year supply deals in tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers
New long-term partnerships with Evesham Vale Growers and Thanet Earth are aimed at boosting domestic production and supply chain resilience
FPC urges government to rethink UK-EU reset
Consortium backs closer UK-EU trade but warns that planned border changes could add £300mn to annual import costs
‘Disastrous’ summer for British brassicas
Broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage has stopped growing due to hot, dry conditions, and available produce is smaller in size and weight, according to BGA
Heatwaves cause UK cucumber shortage
Limited availability in Britain due to exteme heat and high Dutch prices, but yields starting to recover
Wales announces ‘transformational’ new food strategy
Ambitious plan for food in Wales aims to take a ’transformational systems-based’ approach and connect food production, processing, retail, health and education
Florette jumps on social media salad trend with pop-up event
Florette to bring salad bowls inspired by #SaladTok trend to Londoners as social media continues to shape consumer choice
Sainsbury’s launches Kent-grown salad selection box
New box showcases seasonal salad veg under retailer’s Taste the Difference range, aiming to celebrate summer harvest and offer shoppers convenience and value
Jazz hands out 40,000 apple slices at Great Yorkshire Show
Brand’s sampling vehicle continues its summer road trip to celebrate 20 years of British Jazz apples