Prices Fruit and Vegetables

The onion market continues to feel the impact of the extremely wet weather in the UK earlier this year, which hampered planting and led to low supplies. Prices remain much higher than a year ago, up 26.2%, although they have stabilised over the past month.

Bananas are up slightly on 2013, as strong winds in the Caribbean in January damaged some plantations, with prices up 2.5% year on year and 3.3% on a month-on-month basis.

Many other key produce items, however, have come down in price over the past year, with potatoes now nearly 40% cheaper than a year ago thanks to good production prospects in the EU.

Carrots are also down, with strong winter-season supply and good quality keeping a lid on prices.

Meanwhile, tomatoes and iceberg lettuce remain down year on year, but prices have started to rise over the past month as the Spanish season has ended earlier than usual.