Because UK carrots are a cheap, bulk commodity, available almost year-round with a static production of 280,000 tonnes, it was inevitable that price would be discussed during the BCGA conference.
Research has shown that demand is also static, so sales do not increase when there are price cuts, according to Andy Laing, sales and marketing director of Scotland-based Kettle Produce.
This represented a missed opportunity for profit throughout the whole industry: “Consumers do not purchase less when carrots become more expensive,” he pointed out.
There has also been a shift in demand, for while value sales of pre-packed and loose are equal, pre-packed volume share over the last three years has risen from 40.9 per cent to 45.8 per cent of the fresh carrot market.
“The loose price has returned to a sensible level, but are pre-packs now too cheap?” Laing asked.
Organic carrots have continued to appeal to customers, and shown a nine per cent increase in value this year alone and a 17 per cent increase in volume, which Laing said, if reflected by the total crop, could provide an extra £33 million
