British Apples & Pears
British apples and pears in the spotlight Despite the challenges of cost inflation, low supermarket returns and the British weather, UK apple and pear growers are showing their resilience and fighting for their future. As a strong voice, British Apples & Pears Limited continues to push our growers’ case to both retailers and the government, while also exciting consumers to buy British apples and pears.
British apples – the hidden superfood New research and endorsements in the last year mean we now believe apples are a superfood. This will form a key part of our start of season consumer messaging. Our in-store and media start of season promotional activity starts on 2 October. Look out for supermarket promotions, grower features, health facts and lots of social media activity throughout autumn.
Speaking up for our industry This year more than ever, we’ve been speaking up for our growers with government and retailers.
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We’ve achieved more than 75 pieces of media coverage to date, including interviews on BBC Radio 4 and 5 Live as well as Sky News and the BBC One Show. Our messaging has been strong and consistent. We need government support and fair returns from supermarkets. Supermarket returns have remained static, while grower costs have increased 23%. In addition to ONS, NFU and our own grower survey data, we commissioned Andersons Midlands to calculate the cost of production of Gala apples, which was found to be £1.26 (median cost) per kilo. Our new monthly British apple sales data has also caught the attention of the supermarkets – www. britishapplesandpears.co.uk/supermarket-sales-data. Now, everyone can see which supermarkets are supporting British.
