Sales of British blueberries are up by 13 per cent this year, despite challenging conditions for growers, a leading industry trade group has said, calling on retailers to offer fair returns to domestic growers.
According to British Berry Growers (BBG), demand for British blueberries is at record levels and the rise was a “clear indicator of the rising consumer demand for healthier food choices and a testament to the quality of British blueberries”.
UK shoppers buy about 60,000 tonnes of blueberries each year and British growers supply about a tenth of that figure, with the rest made up from imports.
Despite the high demand, figures from British growers show that while there was a double-digit increase in blueberry sales volumes, growth for the much larger strawberry market was 1 per cent while raspberry and blackberry sales fell back by 5 per cent and 2 per cent respectively.
In July the BBG warned that two-fifths of British growers of strawberries and raspberries could go out of business by the end of 2026 amid rising costs and poor pay from supermarkets.
British growers have also claimed that they are often competing with cheaper imports. The Guardian cited Bartosz Pinkosz, operations director at The Summer Berry Company, which produces 10,000 tonnes of fruit a year, to state that there was scope to grow more blueberries in the UK but it required support from retailers.
Pinkosz added that it was frustrating to see imports on supermarket shelves when British blueberries were in season.
BBG chair, Nick Marston, stated, “We don’t have a firm number for it, but even at the peak of the UK season, probably half the blueberries on the shelves are still imported, so there’s loads of opportunity for British growers to produce more.
"It is vital that retailers continue to improve their relationships with growers and offer fair returns, so that we may meet this growing demand and provide the British public with the berries they want.”
Supermarket Tesco is working with suppliers on a production programme to take larger volumes and guarantee a return.
