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.
Fruit sales surge to become fastest-growing category
Strong berry and grape sales have helped fruit become the fastest growing category in UK grocery as Brits shift to healthier diets, according to new figures
Costa Rica concludes UK phase of European campaign to promote pineapple and cassava
Campaign featured in-store tastings in Tesco and Morrisons and advertising at Waterloo tube station
Co-op to require all UK produce to be LEAF certified
Retailer is rolling out the compulsory certification across its British supply chain throughout 2026 after consultation with its grower group
Belgium’s Hoogstraten increasing visibility in UK
Belgian strawberry exports to the UK are on the up, according to Hoogstraten’s Jan Engelen, who also has high hopes for specialty tomatoes
G’s releases ESG report via video for first time
Leading salad grower G’s has released a cinematic sustainability report, bringing to life diverse stories, voices and sustainability achievements
Two thirds of Brits will eat potatoes at Christmas
Potatoes are the most popular Christmas food on plates with roasties topping the list of favourite festive foods in new survey
Fyffes survey highlights pineapple preferences
Nielsen consumer research commissioned by Fyffes reveals pineapples now rank alongside traditional big-selling varieties
Fertiliser and soil conditioners under consultation in organic standards review
The Soil Association has opened a consultation on whether to raise organic standards in Northern Ireland in line with changes to the EO Organic Regulation
New food school will train market traders and fruiterers
A new location at London’s Royal Docks for meat and fish wholesale markets Smithfield and Billingsgate has been announced along with plans for the on-site school
Junk food TV ban ineffective as companies find loopholes
Government can’t leave progress on healthy food sales to the market, warns Food Foundation in new report
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Snacking, spuds and ‘TikTok to table’
Waitrose’s annual food and drink report has revealed the biggest trends set to shape shopper behaviour in 2026
FareShare kicks off Berry Crumply Christmas campaign
FareShare announced the winner of its first Top Chef Crumble Competition in London, with chef Jemma Harrison’s ‘mince pie’ apple and blackberry crumble coming out on top
Family mealtimes ‘don’t correlate with higher veg intake’
Banning screens at meals and parents eating veg as an example are more likely to lead to children eating more veg, finds new report from Veg Power
Musgrave acquires fresh foodservice supplier Delifresh
Irish supply group Musgrave has bought Bradford-based foodservice specialist as part of strategy to ‘capture more market share’ in premium ingredient market
Wrap bags £200,000 Sky Zero Footprint Fund to reenergise recycling
Environmental action group Wrap has received funding from Sky to deliver a 2026 advertising campaign to boost recycling across the UK
Uber Eats to deliver meals by robot in two UK cities
Partnership with Starship will see AI robot deliveries in Sheffield and Leeds begin this winter, with a European and US rollout set to follow
Strong start for South African table grapes
Table grape industry targets close to 80mn export cartons this season despite US tariff challenge and increased competition in Europe
Aldi UK cuts vegetable prices to 8p for Christmas
Discount retailer returns with Christmas Super Six promotion, but insists it retains full support from growers with whom it has fixed-cost agreements
Minimum wage to rise by 4.1 per cent
Minimum wage will rise by 50p an hour for over 21s under Rachel Reeves’ Autumn budget, while businesses could benefit from lower electricity bills and lower rates for some hospitality and retail properties
Start-ups invited to apply for regen farm ‘match-making’ scheme
Pitch Up! scheme positions farms as business incubators with new food or rural business start-ups invited to apply for innovative circular economy tenancies