Supermarkets have been accused of cashing in on the organic food boom with mark-ups of up to 63 per cent on fruit and vegetables.
The findings come from a Morgan Stanley study of average prices of organic and non-organic fruit and veg bought in the same range of stores in 12 UK cities.
Shoppers in Southampton were hit hardest, where prices were 63 per cent higher for organic products. It cost £6.59 for a basket of non-organic apples, carrots, broccoli, oranges and potatoes, compared with £10.75 for the same items grown organically.
The smallest mark-up - 31 per cent was in Bristol where a non-organic basket cost, on average, £7.57 and the organic version £9.91. The cheapest organic baskets cost £9.19 in Birmingham and £9.30 in Glasgow, while the most expensive cost £11.38 in London where the mark-up was 56 per cent.
The greatest mark-up in the country was for carrots. Organic varieties cost on average 103 per cent extra.
Jeannine Farhi, of Morgan Stanley, said: “Our researchers found the cost of a basket of the same organic fruit and vegetables varied from £7.30 at one supermarket to £12.97 at another. While organic food is usually more expensive than non-organic varieties it clearly pays to shop around for the best deals.
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