UK does not produce enough fruit and vegetables, says new study

UK does not produce enough fruit and vegetables for its population to get the recommended five portions a day intake, states a new analysis, calling on to boost domestic fruit and vegetable supply.

According to the analysis from the Sustainable and Healthy Food Systems (SHEFS) research group, UK would need to produce or import 9 per cent more fruit and veg for everyone to be able to eat the recommended amount.

People have turned away from traditional home-grown foods such as peas and carrots, and more than 80 per cent of the UK’s fruit and almost half of vegetables now come from imports, many of them exotic that cannot be grown in the UK.

Researchers warn that this dependence on imports from regions increasingly vulnerable to climate change and water scarcity puts UK food security at risk by exposing producers to cost and supply fluctuation.

Meanwhile, the analysis notes that British farmers’ costs have risen by 27 per cent between March and October 2022, threatening the future viability of their businesses.

In the year to October 2022, the price of fruit rose by more than 10 per cent and vegetables by more than 15 per cent, making fruit and vegetables too expensive for many people to buy.

Even before the cost-of-living crisis, consumption of fruit and vegetables showed strong, wealth-related differences – with the highest income groups consuming about 1.5 portions per day more than the lowest.

The researchers call for boost domestic fruit and vegetable supply, so UK supply chains are not unsustainably dependent on imports from countries likely to experience future climate and water stress, and greater consumer demand can be catered for.

Anna Taylor, executive director of the Food Foundation, which is part of SHEFS, said the analysis showed the government must aim to increase both production and consumption of British fruit and veg.