Asda believes that its prepared fruit and vegetables will weather the credit crunch storm.

A spokesperson from Asda said: “The prepared industry is not being hugely affected by the credit crunch at this moment in time, and in the future consumers will continue to search for value and shop the promotions, which will feature a fair share of prepared produce.

“As well as consumers having less to spend due to the credit crunch, they also continue to be time poor. Asda strives to make all goods and services more affordable for our customers, and we have made a significant investment in prepared produce over the last year to make it cheaper.”

According to Asda, quality and supply have tended to be strong over the last quarter, with the only exceptions being at the shoulder of seasons and the switch from southern hemisphere to northern hemisphere on soft fruit. “We work closely with our suppliers and growers to ensure that the season changeovers are managed with minimal disruption to quality and availability,” said the spokesperson.