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Tesco Injects £20m To Accelerate Food And Fresh Produce Innovation
Tesco has committed £20 million to give emerging food and agritech businesses a potential route into one of the UK’s largest food supply chains, with fresh produce already among the targets. Image: Tesco The UK’s largest retailer has become the anchor investor in Henry Dimbleby’s new Bramble Fund I, which is targeting £100m of capital to back businesses developing practical innovations that make food healthier, more sustainable, and more affordable. To speed up change across
Thanet Earth To Grow British Cucumbers Year-Round With New LED Lighting
Thanet Earth is set to extend cucumber production throughout the full UK winter for the first time by installing a new LED lighting system designed to maintain crop quality and consistency during the darkest months of the year. Image: Philips The East Kent grower will implement Philips Horticultural LED lighting across around 26 hectares of glasshouse during the fourth quarter of 2026, according to a press release. The investment follows the certainty of a 10-year supply agre
Booths Expands Loose Produce Offer Across All 25 Stores
Booths is rolling out a loose fruit and vegetable merchandising strategy across its 25-store estate after a pilot programme demonstrated strong customer interest in market-style produce displays. Image: Booths The UK’s oldest family grocer said the expansion will give shoppers greater control over the quantity of fresh produce they buy, while supporting efforts to reduce household food waste and unnecessary packaging, reports Lancs Live. The pilot was carried out at Booths st
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Unprecedented Aphid Outbreak Puts UK Lettuce Supplies Under Pressure
UK lettuce growers are battling exceptionally high levels of currant-lettuce aphid, with the pest threatening commercially significant crop losses during an already challenging growing season. The British Leafy Salads Association (BLSA) says crisphead, romaine, and iceberg varieties are among those experiencing the greatest impact, with green-leaved lettuces appearing to be particularly vulnerable compared with purple varieties. The scale of the losses is already substantial,
Morocco Poised For Next Phase Of Fresh Produce Export Growth
Morocco’s fresh produce sector is well placed to meet the changing regulatory requirements in the UK and Europe, while building on the production and logistics advantages that have driven its rapid growth, as demonstrated by five Moroccan businesses reaching the FPC Fresh Awards 2026 finals. The country's brimming export potential was a key conclusion from a two-day international workshop held in Agadir in September, and hosted by Morocco Foodex, the government agency respons
Aldi Starts Fruit And Veg Handling At UK’s Largest Automated Warehouse
Aldi has begun handling fresh fruits and vegetables at its £500m Bardon Distribution Centre, improving the speed and cost of moving temperature-controlled produce to stores, and unlocking further capacity for the discounter’s planned UK expansion. Image: Aldi The first pallets, including ginger and avocados, arrived at the Leicestershire site on 16 September, with the first outbound pallet dispatched the following day. The move to handling fresh produce marks the latest phas
Gone In Hours: £233m Farming Fund Closes As Growers Face Fresh Uncertainty
England’s latest Sustainable Farming Incentive application round has closed less than six hours after opening, prompting demands for urgent answers over support for farmers and growers who missed out. As reported by The Guardian, Defra closed the second SFI 2026 application window at 3.48pm on Tuesday 22 September after receiving enough applications to allocate its £233 million budget. Applications still require assessment: the closure does not mean that all the money has alr
British Apples Get Sassy As Mansfields Harvests First UK Crop
A new arrival is bringing fresh bite to Britain’s apple orchards, with Kent grower Mansfields harvesting its first commercial crop of Sassy apples. Originally developed in New Zealand, the variety has now made the move into British production. Mansfields holds the exclusive UK licence and has confirmed that it is growing Sassy commercially in Britain for the first time. Recognisable by its ruby-red appearance, Sassy combines a crisp texture with sweetness and a tangy edge. It
British Potato Growers Face Losses Of Up To £169m After Summer Drought
British potato growers could face losses of between £80 million and £169 million after extreme heat and drought hit crop yields across the UK and mainland Europe. New analysis from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), drawing on industry data, suggests that weather-related losses could remove more than 3.5 million tonnes of potatoes from production across Great Britain, Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Around 3.1 million tonnes of that reduction is ex
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