Most UK supermarkets have increased the number of British apples bought from growers this season so far, new data from Britsh Apples & Pears has found.
Aldi maintained its top position among retailers for buying the most British apples and pears, buying 21,527 tonnes since the start of the British season in October 2023.
Tesco held second place behind the discounter, buying 21,194 tonnes.
Of the 10 supermarkets analysed by the grower group, seven managed to increase the volume of British apples and pears bought from member growers compared with the same period in 2022/23.
The top performers were Sainsbury’s, which bought 2,737 more tonnes of British apples and pears, and Lidl, which bought 2,597 more tonnes than the previous year.
“Things are getting very tight at the top of the league table this year,” said executive chair of BAP, Ali Capper. “Aldi is currently beating Tesco, but only by 333 tonnes.
“Sainsbury’s and Lidl are both closing the gap on the top two. It’s going to be fascinating to see how the rest of the year turns out.”
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Tesco has fallen slightly behind its performance last season – selling 714 tonnes fewer British apples and pears in the first six months of the season.
However, BAP said the UK’s largest retailer had been hampered by a slow start in October and was now catching up with the other top performers.
The biggest underperformer was Morrisons, selling 2,613 fewer tonnes between October and March 2023/24 compared with the same period last year.
“We’re delighted that most supermarkets are buying more British apples and pears than they were this time last year,” said Capper.
“We know that’s what consumers want, and we welcome the recent moves by some supermarkets to make it easier for online shoppers to choose British,” she added. “That’s another great step towards making buying British as easy as possible.”
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