Farm shops have reported a huge sales boost over the past month amid the national supermarket fresh fruit and veg "crisis". Farm and small business owners say they hope it will now have a lasting impact in the way people choose to shop.
Shoppers have been faced with empty shelves on the fruit and veg aisles of major supermarkets in the past month amid "supply chain issues". Poor weather in north Africa and southern Europe hitting crops has been blamed, and some supermarkets took to rationing the number of items like tomoatoes, cucumber, salad and peppers customers were able to buy.
It has seen customers seek out other ways to buy their fresh veg items - and farm shops and farmers' markets have been big winners as a result. The Farm Retail association, which represents farm shops and farmers' markets across the UK, has today said there has been a big increase in demand in its sector.
Read more: The real story behind the tomato shortage
It points to farm shops and farmers’ markets, with their focus on locally-produced produce, having been able to offer customers a full range of fruit and vegetables. It says that is thanks to their short supply chains.
Farm Retail Association chairman Emma Mosey said: “The current issue really underlines the importance of being able to buy local produce. Our members sell vegetables that they either grow themselves or sourced from nearby growers so when there are issues further afield, they can step into the breach.
"Not only does this reduce food miles, it also ensures support for the smaller businesses which play a vital role in food production in the UK. Farm retailers are also happy to pay producers fair prices, even in times of hardship.
"They always put both the customer and the producer at the heart of what they do, and because of this, their shelves and customer’s baskets are full."
The bad weather resulted in supply chain issues for supermarkets with tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and lettuce and left some supermarket shelves empty. It prompted the Environment Secretary Therese Coffey to suggest that people should focus on eating UK produced seasonal vegetables, such as turnips.
Sandra Woodfall, the farmers market representative on the FRA Council, agreed saying: "Shoppers should embrace the opportunity to consider the seasons when choosing what to buy. Farmers Markets offer a great opportunity to do this - not purely fruit and vegetables but also fish, game etc.
"Some of the growing seasons have been extended in the UK because of tunnel grown items or items grown under glass. Many of the real farmers markets in the UK have been running for a number of years now and are working to a set of criteria to help with traceability of items, seasonality, reducing food miles and the person behind the stall being involved in the production of the item.
"Throughout COVID the farmers markets and stallholders, many who are very small businesses, adapted to the changing circumstances and offered home delivery schemes of their items and offered a vital service when people most needed it.” She said footfall in 2023 had remained good, with shoppers wanting to support local producers and learn more about the items they were purchasing."
Mark Francis, manager at the acclaimed Lymefield Garden Centre and farm shop in Broadbottom, Tameside, said they had seen sales double over the past month. He said he hopes that the big increase in customers there in recent weeks would help encourage people everywhere to "shop local".
He said: "We have seen a large increase in the sale of the items that were unavailable on supermarket shelves. For example sales of tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuces and peppers doubled for this time of year.
"One of the things about the situation that was good for us was, we felt we were really helping people out because our supplies were plentiful. Some people said that they had been to 3 different supermarkets without being able to buy any salad items!
"What I would like to say about the situation as a whole is that there was never a supply issue, we use several wholesale fruit and veg suppliers at Smithfield Market and they have never run out of any of items the supermarkets claim were in short supply.
"What has happened over the past month is that the salad items we are talking about have gone very expensive So it seems like supermarkets would rather have empty shelves than shelves stocked with expensive fruit and vegetables.
"The supermarkets don't want to be perceived as expensive by the general public, because that will hurt their public image. But if you are selling tomatoes in February, out of season, then they are going to be expensive, because of transport costs, poor weather, increasing energy prices.
"I think that once the new customers we have gained over the past month have tried our produce they will be back. Farmshops and local green grocers offer great quality produce, product knowledge and good service. Shop local."
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