>>UK FRESH PRODUCE MARKET still growing

Fresh produce in the UK continues to be buoyant in value terms, with expenditure growing at 4% year-on-year to April 24. TNS values the market at £6.8bn.
Volumes rose 4%, but initiatives such as 5-a-day continue to have only a moderate impact on growth. The average person still only consumes around 2.5 portions of fresh fruit and veg a day, a figure that has not really fluctuated.
Wider availability and premiumisation are the main factors driving growth throughout the year.
Fruit has shown 6% growth in volume on the previous year, with vegetables growing at 3%. However, vegetables continue to outperform fruit in terms of expenditure, with the markets growing at 5% and 4% respectively.
Soft fruit - with 33% of the fruit category - contributes most of this growth, up 10% year-on-year. Stoned soft fruit has had a mixed performance, with nectarines down 7% and peaches static in value terms. Plums saw value decline by 5%, while cherries rose 22% and apricots rose 13% .
Last year’s 52-week figures showed salad veg being the key growth sector. However, this year, despite a 2% volume growth, salad expenditure is static.
This is largely indicative of the trend in tomatoes with a 42% share but declining by 3% in spend and 1% in volume.
Potatoes have been the main driver of value growth in the produce market, with a value growth of 11% on a volume rise of 1%. Root crops have also had strong growth, with a value increase of 7%, driven by carrots, up 11%. Paul Corrigan, TNS Superpanel
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