UK growers have said that an early start to the growing season has resulted in a good volume of slightly larger apples.
British Apples & Pears, the trade body for British growers, has estimated that apples in the 2024 season will be larger than average due to the mild weather in March and April.
This means that price per pack would need to increase, or retailers should look to put more four-packs on shelf, as consumers would be getting more apple in their six-packs than in previous years, said the grower group.
BAP said growers would be talking to their retail customers to ensure they received a fair return for the weight of apples they were producing.
“With larger fruit looking likely, it’s essential that retailers pay a fair price for the weight produced, not just the number of apples produced,” said Ali Capper, executive chair of BAP. “We are desperate to stop the contraction in the industry that has come from unsustainable returns.
“We need to be investing in orchards, planting more trees and building the UK’s food security and that means fair returns,” she added.
Read more: Apple growers face continuing rise in production costs
The group has also said apple volumes are generally looking good, with the expectation that the harvest will be slightly larger than in 2023.
“Weather and cost of production issues have once again challenged our growers, but they are resilient and working hard to deliver a great crop later this year,” said Capper. “We’re expecting 2024 to be a good crop, but we probably won’t reach the bumper volumes of 2022.”
The weather has also contributed to some skin blemishes on the apples, which the industry body warned should not lead to food waste as “the eating experience is the same and these apples are just as delicious as usual”.
BAP members are working with retailers to create in-store theatre celebrating the best of British top fruit from September 2024 onwards.
Last year, the organisation invested in TV advertising and strong social media promotion, which helped raise the profile of new season apples for shoppers. It said it hoped that this year was even bigger.
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