Tag Archives: soft fruit

Wholesalers concerned about effects of hot weather

According to reports, some wholesalers have expressed concern about the recent spate of hot, dry weather on the availability of certain UK produce lines, including broccoli and some soft fruit.

Following temperatures of 31oC in Lincolnshire and 25oC in Cornwall, former Secretts Direct boss Vernon Mascarenhas of New Covent Garden’s First Choice Produce told the Fresh Produce Journal that “Broccoli will be hardest hit because generally you don’t irrigate broccoli. In this heat the broccoli plant will dehydrate and shut down.”

He added, “Strawberries are also going to be a problem. In this weather strawberry plants can just shut down and stop producing. “Everyone loves the hot weather but people should realise what it can do to our food chain,” he said. “There are going to be consequences.”

Photo Credit: Pixabay

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Opportunity for strawberry growers to see latest breeding

The latest selections from the East Malling Strawberry Breeding Club will be on display to growers at an EMR Association/AHDB Horticulture walk at NIAB East Malling Research on 8 June.

According to organisers, the event represents a great opportunity for growers to experience this year’s most promising performers from the breeding club, with an opportunity to view and taste the most interesting new selections from the programme.

The event will also give growers a chance to provide feedback on the lines and ultimately will help choose which lines move on to commercial release to the industry. In conjunction with project SF 096a, the key aim of the Strawberry Breeding Club is to breed varieties to the highest standard, with overlapping seasons, high yields, high pest and disease resistance and greater picking efficiency to reduce labour costs.

Photo Credit: Pexels

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‘Earliest ever’ English strawberries for Tesco

Lancashire will be the first area of the UK to harvest strawberries this year after family run Medlar Fruit Farms has managed to produce an early crop of Driscoll’s Lusa which is expected to be on sale in selected stores from today (28 February).

Tesco believes it will be one of the earliest ever arrivals for Britain’s favourite home-grown fruit, having been helped by a mild winter and the recent warmer temperatures. The greenhouse crop from Medlar will be supplemented next week by the first production from Herefordshire-based S&A Produce.

Tesco’s strawberry buyer Henry Maulik said, “This brilliant but rare opportunity for customers to enjoy English strawberries so early in the year, is great news for shoppers. Helped by the recent warmer temperatures, this is the first time in ages that UK strawberries grown for supermarkets have been picked in February.”

Medlar managing director Steve Bell added, “We’re pleased to have been able to put Lancashire well and truly on the map for strawberries. The Driscoll’s Lusa variety is hugely popular with customers because of their fantastic flavour. We’ve been working with Tesco to extend the British season, so that shoppers can enjoy them for even longer.”

Medlar Fruit Farms expects to produce strawberries right through until the end of the season in November.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons

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James Hutton Institute aims to increase blueberry yields

New plant breeding technology is being used by the James Hutton Institute to help blueberries thrive in the Scottish climate.

Part of a comprehensive package of research funded by the Scottish Government in environment and agriculture in 2015-2016, the project aims to produce blueberry plants that are more suited to the Scottish climate, helping to provide local options of this healthy fruit which may help manage type 2 diabetes.

Blueberry production in Scotland grew 10 per cent last year as demand continued to increase. Scottish Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said, “Blueberries are an increasingly popular fruit in the UK. Traditionally blueberries are imported to Scotland but this innovative research we are funding is using new technology to develop plants that are more suitable for the Scottish soil and climate as well as helping us to fully understand the health benefits of this fruit.

“Scottish blueberry production is already on the increase and this should help boost local production of this fruit – which is better for the environment and also good news for our economy.”

Dr Julie Graham, part of the James Hutton Institute’s Cell and Molecular Sciences and leader of the blueberry breeding programme commented, “Cutting-edge plant breeding technology is enabling the James Hutton Institute to develop new blueberry cultivars. These cultivars, better suited to Scottish conditions, should enable an increase in the home-grown blueberry crop, which will be of benefit to Scottish soft fruit growers. Long-term funding from the Scottish Government has been instrumental in supporting this research.”

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

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Strawberry volumes keep pace with demand

Data released on Friday shows that British strawberry producers are on track to meet a record demand for the fruit this summer as the season enters the iconic Wimbledon fortnight.

Estimates suggest that the UK will produce 74,000 tonnes of strawberries this summer, representing some £564 million. According to statistics strawberries account for just over half of the total UK soft fruit market.

Laurence Olins, Chairman of British Summer Fruits commented, “Berries used to be a luxury item, but now they are a delicious staple, consumed as part of a healthy diet for many people.

“The sales figures reveal a robust and expanding soft fruit category that is meeting growing consumer demand. The berry industry as a whole will continue to expand and as the season begins, consumers can look forward to good quality British berries on supermarket shelves.”

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

The post Strawberry volumes keep pace with demand appeared first on Hort News on 29 June 2016.

Berry sales rise as bumper harvest looms

Data from Kantar Worldpanel shows that berry sales in the UK now account for a fifth of total fruit consumption making them more popular than apples and bananas as the popularity of juices and smoothies shows no signs of slowing down.

Strawberries are the most popular soft fruit, with sales last year valued at £564,382 million. They were followed by blueberries (£282,962m) and raspberries (£220,336m). Laurence Olins, chairman of British Summer Fruits, said, “Berries used to be a luxury item, but now they are a delicious staple, consumed as part of a healthy diet for many people. The sales figures reveal a robust and expanding soft fruit category that is meeting growing consumer demand.”

The figures came as British Summer Fruits predicted a record breaking strawberry harvest this year thanks to ideal spring growing conditions. Up to 74,000 tonnes of the fruit is predicted to be produced over the coming summer. The top retail varieties are Malling Centenary; Elsanta; Sonata; Sweet Eve; Driscoll’s Jubilee; Ava Rosa; Red Glory; and Capri.

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BerryWorld launches buckets of berries

Fruit marketing group BerryWorld has launched a new branded multi-pack of soft fruit aimed at time poor convenience shoppers.

BerryWorld Berry Buckets contain two packs each of blueberries and raspberries which have been hand-picked when the fruit is at its best. Packed into four convenient, re-sealable 80g buckets, they are said to be perfect for including in lunchboxes and eating on the go.

Online supermarket Ocado, which is selling a pack of four buckets for £4.99, says that, ‘one 80g bucket counts towards one of an adults recommended 5 a day. They also make a great addition to desserts and salads.’

A spokesperson for BerryWorld said: “These delicious berries are juicy, sweet and bursting with goodness, perfect for including in lunchboxes or eating on the go.”

Photo Credit: Ocado

The post BerryWorld launches buckets of berries appeared first on Hort News on 5 May 2016.

Kent nursery produces first UK strawberries

The first English strawberries in 2016 went on sale in Tesco’s store in Faversham on 2 March after being harvested by S & A Produce at its Hernhill nursery nearby.

The sample of new early variety Fleurette helped S & A Produce, one of the biggest greenhouse producers of strawberries in the country, to win the annual race to produce the first strawberries this year.

Tesco strawberry buyer Henry Maulik said, “There’s nothing quite so quintessentially English as the taste of sweet, soft and juicy home-grown strawberries to help banish the winter blues. We have worked with one of our long-standing growers to replicate the perfect growing conditions of strawberries at the height of the UK season to help customers enjoy Britain’s favourite fruit as early as possible.

“The arrival of the first English strawberries is great news for those yearning for longer, brighter days because it not only signifies the start of the British growing season but also heralds the start of springtime.”

Photo Caption: The sample of Fleurette strawberries

Photo Credit: Tesco

The post Kent nursery produces first UK strawberries appeared first on Hort News on 22 March 2016.

Not for profit berry company launched

In what is thought to be the first such project in the UK, a new not-for-profit soft fruit marketing agency has been established.

Berry Alliance is a Not for Profit (‘NFP’) company which has been set up to support growers throughout the world supply direct to retailers in the UK and for retailers to deal direct with growers. It aims to reduce costs for both suppliers and customers in the supply chain compared with traditional marketing companies.

The company has been founded by Pascal Simian and Steve Sadler who together have 40 years of combined experience in the produce sector. Pascal said, “After 18 months of careful research and refinement, we’ve honed a solution that’s mutually beneficial to all parties—Berry Alliance, a not for profit (NFP) company that supports growers throughout the world to supply direct to UK retailers, and for retailers to deal direct with growers.

“Unlike an importer, the contract to supply is between the grower and the retailer, not with Berry Alliance. As an NFP, Berry Alliance can’t make a profit. It does not own the fruit and all supply chain savings, which are significant, are passed on as better prices to the retailer and enhanced returns to the grower. The model is entirely transparent, with the progress of orders and every penny in the process accessible to both parties, at all times.”

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Black raspberries healthier than red

The black raspberry may be less well known than its red or even yellow cousins, but new research from Poland has propelled it into the media spotlight with claims that it is the latest super food.

A team of researchers from the University of Agriculture in Krakow measured antioxidants in black raspberries, red raspberries and blackberries and their potential health benefits. They found that the antioxidant activity of the fruit had a direct relationship with their health promoting properties. Of the fruit tested, black raspberries had the most antioxidants, with a level three times higher than red raspberries or blackberries.

Writing in the journal Open Chemistry the scientists concluded that black raspberries have a ‘potentially huge health-beneficial value’ and ‘should be considerably better promoted.’

The study also showed that black raspberries had a higher levels of secondary metabolites and there was no significant difference in antioxidant levels whether fruit was harvested in summer or autumn.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons

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