Market Update - August

What's in Season?

Vegetables Runner Beans Marrow Corn on the Cob New Season Squashes Tenderstem Broccoli

Vegetables Purple Sprouting Broccoli Orange & Purple Cauliflower Yellow Wax Beans Outdoor Rhubarb Cavolo Nero (Black Cabbage)

Fruits British Plums Blackberries Raspberries

What's Good?

• Melons - Melons are in good supply with excellent orange-fleshed & watermelons available.

• Grapes - Excellent quality and availability.

• Stone Fruit - Good quality and flavour across this category.

• Mushrooms - Button, chestnut, cup and flat mushrooms are good quality and there are no supply issues, due to strong supply chain management with Polish growing partners.

• Carrots - Carrot quality is good and being managed well by growers.

What's causing issues?

• Cabbages - A mixed market with varieties such a cavolo, kale and savoy being affected by heat stress.

• Flour - Lower yields, energy, farm costs and fertiliser continue to pressurise wheat production, increasing the risk of higher prices.

• Lettuce - Supply of all lettuce remains under pressure, with UK growers picking crops ten days earlier than usual in order to fulfil demand, resulting in smaller & lighter products.

• Tomatoes - Extreme heatwaves have impacted quality, with uneven ripening and reduced sizes.

• Broccoli - Growers are all in the same boat with limited availability and quality not what we are used to from UK growers. We could see uneven heads, browning & whitefly.

• Cauliflower - Growers are harvesting earlier than usual to try and maintain quality, but heat stress is causing the colour to be more yellow than usual.

• Potatoes - Demand is lower than usual due to the weather, and new season crops aren’t growing due to the impact of the heatwaves and lack of water

• Citrus - Citrus categories are still under pressure with strong demand for lemons, though improved supply from South Africa is helping. As expected this time of year, the supply of limes is tight and prices remain high.

• Apples - Availability and quality remain difficult across different varieties.

• Blackberries - Due to the heatwaves, UK varieties are deteriorating rapidly.

• Sugar - European beat sugar remains under pressure dur to reduced planting, factory closures as well as producer losses creating concerns over future supply.

• Cocoa - The ongoing concerns around West African production and weather challenges are putting prices under pressure