Latest news stories from Fresh Produce Journal
News updates for the UK fresh produce business.
£15m government fund aims to boost food redistribution
Initiative hopes to strengthen relationships between farmers and food charities
NFU president outlines farming industry hopes for 2025
After a difficult past 12 months for farmers, Tom Bradshaw is calling for better government support
M&S sells new-season British asparagus before Christmas
Limited selection of early pickings from Wye Valley Produce went on sale in Hereford
Branston donates two million meals to FareShare
The potato supplier regularly supplies the charity with surplus spuds to create nutritious meals
Nuffield Farming Scholarships open in January
Applications for 2026 Nuffield Farming Scholarships will open on 29 January 2025
Conversations
Fruitbox 112 · Daniel Sauvaitre, Interfel
Chris and Daniel look at global trade policy and its impact on the fruit and vegetable business
Fruitbox 111 · Duncan Jones, Sinclair
Duncan talks about Sinclair’s new home-compostable fruit label, described as a “huge step forward” in making fruit and vegetable labelling a 100 per cent sustainable practice
Fruitbox 110 · Gary Marshall, New Covent Garden Market
Gary and Chris champion the value of the wholesale market and look to the future of the business
AgriRobot secures funding to boost field-robot project
The Danish agritech company raises total of €2.5 million to accelerate development of operator-free field-robots
GB Potatoes announces new chair
Alex Godfrey takes over from Mark Taylor as chairman of the potato organisation
New project aims to improve tomato growing with AI
TomatoGuard uses AI-powered digital nose sensor to detect early signs of crop stress
Fyffes Ireland appoints new head of sales
Sean Purcell joins Fyffes Ireland as head of sales – responsible for Ireland business performance
Veg Power strengthens board with four new members
Simon Conway, Tom Firth, Tom Lindsay and Karen Schenstrom join Veg Power board
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New project to peel away the secrets of potato blight
Initiative will study Phytophthora, a group of fungus-like microbes that cause many devastating plant diseases
Soil Association Scotland welcomes whole-farm plan for BPS
Scottish Government has long-term plans to double the area of organic farmland
Government underlines cash investment in rural economy
Defra outlines current payments and upcoming changes to Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier
NGO calls for migrant workers to be documented in Dominican Republic banana sector
Banana Link says country’s banana sector employs around 70,000 Haitian migrants, who currently face the threat of deportation under a government decree
Why NLW and NI changes are the biggest current threat to growers
Martin Emmett, chair of the NFU Horticulture & Potatoes Board, explains why despite the shock over IHT rules, the most immediate challenge comes from wage and National Insurance hikes
Supermarket tills ring out in countdown to Christmas
December retail sales are forecast to exceed £13 billion for the first time ever as shoppers count down to Christmas
DP World helps UK importers cut emissions
The logistics giant launches world’s first container port ’carbon inset programme’ at UK hubs
Blueberries and avocados lead Peru’s agricultural exports
Shipment of both products showed marked recovery in first ten months of 2024
NC sweet potato industry looks ahead despite challenging season
North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission maintains commitment to consumer marketing programmes
Resilience and innovation for South African onions
Leading South African onion producer Dutoit Vegetables had a challenging start to the season, but is optimistic about quality after a normal October and November