It’s the most wonderful time of the year. The Christmas parties are underway, children are writing last-minute letters to Santa – and, most importantly, you can buy a kilo of carrots for only 15p.

Every Christmas (and in more recent years, Easter too), the major multiples slash prices on core vegetable lines as part of their seasonal promotions. 

Aldi today announced its Christmas Super Six promotion would return from 19 December. White potatoes, carrots, parsnips, red and white cabbages, brussels sprouts, and broccoli are all being sold for the bargain price of 15p.

With more multiples expected to follow suit in the coming days, surely this is good news?

All hail cheap veg

Well, it is for consumers. For many people who are facing veg poverty, it will go some way to making things more affordable during what is a very expensive time of year for families. Even for those who are not on the breadline, there is no escaping the fact Aldi’s Super Six promotion is a good deal.

However, as is the case with many short-term promotions, it doesn’t make a long-term difference in helping consumers afford healthy food year-round. And this one has the added issue of annoying farmers.

Aldi says its growers continue to get paid the same regardless of on-shelf price. However, as The Guardian reported last week and The Grocer has reported in other instances, farmers are concerned it devalues the product in the eyes of the consumer.

 

Read more: Christmas dinner wars: 2023’s deals unpacked

 

“Ultimately it has to come out of the wash somewhere, and the concern among some growers is that it sets an unrealistic expectation in the minds of consumers as to what it costs to produce this stuff,” British Growers Association CEO Jack Ward told The Grocer.

“If everybody’s trying to follow suit, then it’s driving down the price of vegetables.”

As Ward suggests, if consumers see carrots for 15p, they are going to think that is what they are worth and that is simply not true. In the latest Defra data, the price of a kilo of carrots at wholesale was 67p – and while that’s still enormously cheap for a kilo of food, it’s not quite as cheap as Aldi’s promotion suggests.

Ward also questioned why carrots are so much more expensive in Aldi stores in France, sold for €1.98 per kilo. “It would be interesting to know why they are so much more expensive 26 miles away.”

Unfair price perception

In many European countries, including Spain, it is illegal to sell food under the cost of production – and when this issue has been raised in the past, many have called for similar measures to be introduced in the UK. Not only would this help with consumer price perception, but in many cases it would also help protect the growers who are faced with spiralling costs.

Retailers will defend this offer by saying they only offer the cheap deals for a few weeks of the year and they are a positive step to encourage vegetable consumption, while also keeping costs down for consumers, who are watching their wallets at this time of year.

However, with most major supermarkets expected to launch their own version of the deal in the coming days, it sets a harmful precedent. Should retailers – which are otherwise keen to be seen supporting British farmers – be encouraging this unfair price perception? Perhaps they would be better off using their platforms to highlight the importance of paying a proper price for core products.

Although vegetables are traditionally described as the sides of the classic Christmas lunch, the difficulties faced by their growers should not be sidelined.

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