Latest news stories from Fresh Produce Journal
News updates for the UK fresh produce business.
May heatwave spurs summer grocery spending
Grocery sales up by 2.4 per cent year on year, with 10-day heatwave driving demand for barbecue staples, including salads
Driscoll’s Zara named ‘best overall supermarket strawberry’
Variety sold under Waitrose No.1 range has come top in a survey of retailer strawberries in newspaper taste test
New Defra minister visits NFU president’s farm
Stephen Morgan and Tom Bradshaw discussed challenges facing farming, as the third new Defra minister for Labour in two years takes up role following Angela Eagle’s exit to the Home Office
ESG Drysdale secures £10mn for expansion plans
Scottish veg producer’s funding package from Royal Bank of Scotland will see it invest in production and processing and continue strong growth trajectory
Fieldwork Robotics secures investment from Seed Innovations
The robotic harvesting specialist has received backing from Jim Mellon’s Seed Innovations as part of a £2.5m seed-plus fundraise
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
Aldi and Iceland pledge to help double UK bean consumption
Retailers among a number of major food businesses to push bean sales, with pulses gaining traction as healthy and affordable sources of protein and fibre
‘Camera tricks’ could be misleading berry robots
Robots’ cameras may be misjudging colour of soft fruit, thereby tricking automated systems designed to judge ripeness
First Comber Earlies arrive in stores
Season begins ahead of schedule in Northern Ireland following “fairly kind” growing season to date
Fepex highlights Brexit impact on Spanish trade
Ten years after the Brexit referendum, Spain’s export volumes to the UK have declined significantly while value has jumped 29 per cent
LiVA Biotechnology and Dyson Farming announce commercial-scale strawberry pilot
Dyson will test LiVA’s prebiotic bio-protection technology during the 2026 winter British strawberry season
SUBSCRIBE TO FRESH PRODUCE JOURNAL
The Fresh Produce Journal is the UK's leading source of fruit and vegetable industry news and analysis.
Subscribe and get 10 issues per year. Plus newsletters and full digital access.
Legendary NCGM buyer Bob King retires
Tommy Leighton of the Covent Garden Market Authority reflects on how Le Marché’s buyer contributed to the success of some of the UK’s most prestigious restaurants and hotels
Waitrose launches year-round British samphire thanks to hydroponics
Glasshouse growing method replicates coastal microclimates to allow continuous UK supply
BerryWorld Iberia marks tenth anniversary with major celebration
Berry marketer celebrates decade of growth with special event in Huelva, the centre of its breeding and production operation
Kölla predicts strong European grape season despite Italian delay
Importer expects ‘very positive’ European season, as industry continues shift towards high-performing, licensed varieties
Extending Healthy Start eligibility ‘could generate £7.7 billion’ over 10 years
Study finds that expanding eligibility for the scheme to all families on Universal Credit would return £7.7bn in societal net benefits over a decade
Southampton set to install two of Europe’s largest quay cranes
Port operator DP World says £60m investment will boost capacity and future-proof operations at one of UK’s largest container terminals
South African industry responds to Port of Cape Town’s lowly ranking
South Africa’s fresh fruit export organisations have expressed strategic concerns after Cape Town port was ranked last globally
Wrap appoints new chief programmes officer
Former Hubbub CEO joins environmental action NGO to oversee work across resource management, circular economy and food systems transformation
AI platform promises more accurate berry forecasts
GreenView AI says it can improve forecast accuracy to 90 per cent or more using footage of about three per cent of a grower’s crop
NFU urges urgent action on water resilience as climate threat grows
Fifty years on from the infamous 1976 drought, NFU calls for greater government support with on-farm water storage and investment in water-efficient crops and systems