Good new-season crop is expected, with great eating experience despite some skin blemishes
British consumers can look forward to a good volume of slightly larger apples this season.
Young apples are now growing and ripening slowly in orchards across the UK, with UK producers having experienced an early start to the growing season. The new British apple season gets underway in September.
The mild weather during March and April this year is resulting in larger apples, growers have reported. Industry body British Apples & Pears (BAPL) said this means that the price per pack will need to increase, or retailers should look to put more four packs on the shelf, as consumers will be “getting more apple” in their six-packs than in previous years.
Growers will be talking to their retail customers about this issue to ensure that they receive a fair return for the weight of apples they are producing, BAPL stressed.
The industry body says that apple volumes are generally looking good, with the overall crop described as “reasonable”. Expectations are that it will be slightly larger than in 2023, but not as big as 2022.
Despite some skin blemishes, the crop is expected to provide “great eating experiences”. Some orchards have experienced hail damage and there is a low level of russeting in some locations due to the spring weather, which will result in blemishes on the skin of the fruit.
BAPL said it is important that this does not result in food waste, as the eating experience is the same and these apples are just as delicious as usual.
BAPL executive chair Ali Capper said: “Weather and cost-of-production issues have once again challenged our growers, but they are resilient and working hard to deliver a great crop later this year. We’re expecting 2024 to be a good crop, but we probably won’t reach the bumper volumes of 2022.
“With larger fruit looking likely, it’s essential that retailers pay a fair price for the weight produced, not just the number of apples produced. We are desperate to stop the contraction in the industry that has come from unsustainable returns. We need to be investing in orchards, planting more trees and building the UK’s food security and that means fair returns.”
BAPL members are once again working closely with retailers to create in-store theatre celebrating the best of British topfruit from September 2024. TV advertising and strong social media promotion in 2023 really helped to raise the profile of new-season apples with shoppers, the industry body said.
”It’s hoped that this year is even bigger and BAPL will also be investing heavily in social media advertising at the start of the season to showcase the ‘superfood’ health benefits of British apples,” it added.
