Seasonal fresh produce prices up by 35 percent

September seasonal fruit and vegetable prices in the UK have gone up by 35 percent compared to the same period in 2019 with beans seeing the most spike. 

Runner and climbing beans saw the biggest increase at a whopping 209 percent rise from £1.40 per kilogram in 2019 to £4.24 in 2022. Apple prices have also rocketed by 38 percent since 2019, with the Bramley’s seedings variety seeing the biggest increase at 67 percent in price from 99p per kilogram to £1.59. 

The fugures were revealed by Morning Adertiser from ongoing research by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The research covers weekly average wholesale prices in wholesale markets in Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester and London. 

Other notable increases were pre-packaged spring greens, which have risen by 46 percent in price from £1.00 per kilogram to £1.46, and courgettes, with prices up 38 percent since 2019. Carrot prices had soared by 35 percent from 40p per kilogram in 2019 to 54p in 2022.  

Tomatoes were the only seasonal vegetable to drop in price. Vine tomatoes plummeted from £2.29 per kilogram in September 2019 versus £1.32 in the comparative 2022 period, a 42 percent dip. Round tomatoes also dropped 31 percent in price from £1.35 to 93p per kilogram. 

This year, severe hot weather and strong inflationary pressure have driven down prices of food, including fruits and vegetables. According to Defra, fruit and vegetable prices expanded on average by 37 percent in the first three months of 2022, when compared to the same period in 2020. 

The figures comes a week after British Retail Consortium-NielsenIQ stated that food prices in the UK have soared by a record 10.6 percent in September with fresh produce being the highest rising category. Fresh food products cost a record 12.1 percent more than last year, up from 10.5 percent in August, the highest rate for the category on record. 

However, some produce benefited from the long stretch of drought conditions over the summer leading to bumper harvest and a fall in prices for fruit such as strawberries, blueberries and tomatoes, stated another report last week.