Supermarkets continuing to import fresh produce during the British season is “wrong”, according to consumers, new research has found.
Research from organic veg box company Riverford Organic Farmers has revealed that 72% of Brits believe supermarkets should prioritise British farmers over global suppliers. Almost half admit to feeling “frustrated” and “angry” when they see imported fresh produce on supermarket shelves during the British season.
It comes as leading retailers are importing vegetables like green beans and Tenderstem broccoli from abroad, despite these seasonal veg enjoying the peak of their British growing season over the summer.
The veg box company said this model put imported fruit and vegetables in direct competition with British crops and was often done alongside sourcing from multiple countries at once, giving retailers greater bargaining power.
“This isn’t about saying ‘no’ to imports, as they’re essential when crops are out of season in the UK,” said Luke King, Riverford’s supply chain & technical director. “However, importing the same product while British farms are at their most abundant undermines our UK growers, increases unnecessary food miles, and denies shoppers the chance to eat fresher, seasonal food.
“It can also be misleading when the same product is put on the shelf from multiple countries, including the UK.”
Read more: Riverford accuses supermarkets of farmwashing with new campaign
Riverford’s research revealed that three quarters (72%) of shoppers trust supermarkets to stock British produce when it is in season, with a further 62% feeling the retailers are letting British farmers down by continually importing produce from abroad when it’s available on our doorstep.
At the same time most (66%) said they would choose British over imported produce when it is available on shelf and 71% look for the union flag on packaging. A further 76% of Brits said it was important that supermarkets were transparent about their importing practices.
Riverford has argued that bringing in the same crop during peak British harvest is unfair to UK farmers, environmentally wasteful and misleading for customers.
“The public wants to support British farmers and the easiest time to do that is during our peak British growing seasons and harvest,” added King. “Supermarkets should make it easy for them and for example, not import green beans from Kenya, when they’re in season here in the UK.”
In response, Riverford has released a tongue-in-cheek video poking fun at the distance that some vegetables have travelled.
It shows dishevelled vegetables, including an apple, potato, onion and carrot, rolling off a long-haul flight on a private jet into the waiting arms of suited chauffeurs to transport them to supermarkets.
The clip ends with a key takeaway: “Veg tastes better when it hasn’t been on a world tour.”
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