Sainsbury’s makes strong commitment to Fairtrade bananas, growers and workers

Sainsbury’s announced this week it was committing money from all bananas sold in stores to paying better wages to workers and growers in Cameroon, Colombia, Dominican Republic and Ghana. The world’s biggest retailer of Fairtrade bananas has stepped up three years ahead of the standard set in an agreement through IDH with nine other supermarkets […]

Nectarines from South Africa looking good despite tough conditions for stone fruit overall

South African growers are increasing plantings of nectarines on the back of rising demand and better financial returns at grower level, although the industry is still under financial pressure. Young nectarine orchards that were planted in the last few years are now coming into production, with new higher-yielding varieties further boosting volumes and the use […]

Fruit Logistica: New ripening innovations from Interko help save on energy

Netherlands-based Interko, which designs, manufactures and installs state-of-the-art fresh fruit ripening rooms, announced that it has cut the energy consumption of its flagship Ultimo rooms by a further 20 per cent, after launching the second generation of its revolutionary Reverso reversible fans. Ultimo’s design and technology also has been adapted to enable the room to be used […]

Four new hybrid mandarin varieties being developed in Spain for UK market

New sensory research gauges how Jaffa Orri Mandarins fare in China and Japan

It might be hard for Brits to believe, but Europeans actually like having pips in their mandarins. And that’s resulted in a challenge for consumers looking for satsumas in the UK. There are just fewer satsumas being produced as Spain and Morocco have concentrated on other types. “Traditionally the European market preferred clementines, which are […]

Aldi and Lidl putting massive investments behind British vegetable suppliers

Discount retail chains Lidl and Aldi have each bolstered contracts aimed at helping struggling British fresh food suppliers and consumers. Lidl said it is pouring more than £70 million into a three-year deal with suppliers that handle root vegetables, including carrots, parsnips, and swedes. Meanwhile, Aldi said it will be sinking more than £1.4 billion […]