Tesco is reporting a sharp rise in demand for exotic fruits, with papaya emerging as an unexpected star performer.
In the last year alone, the supermarket has seen demand for the orange-coloured fruit, mainly grown in tropical regions of South America, surge by nearly 160 per cent. Papaya is increasingly eaten on its own, but Tesco also highlights its popularity as a way to add extra flavour to fish, chicken and salad dishes.
Rich in vitamin C, papaya contributes to normal bone, gum, tooth and skin health, while also supporting immune and nervous system function. Other exotic varieties driving record demand include kiwis, mangos, passion fruit and persimmon, reflecting a broader trend in which tropical fruit has become the fastest-growing sector of the UK fruit market over the past year, leaping by nearly 30 per cent to reach an annual value of around £460 million.
Alongside papaya, the fastest-growing tropical fruits in 2024 included kiwis (up nearly 90 per cent), mangos (up nearly 80 per cent), passion fruit (up 50 per cent), persimmon (up 45 per cent), dates (up 35 per cent) and coconut (up 15 per cent).
Tesco exotic fruit technologist Maksim Ivanov said: “Not so long ago pineapples, coconuts, passionfruit, pomegranate and nectarines were still considered exotic to your average shopper.
“But now, as those fruits have become more mainstream buys, shoppers are turning to more unusual varieties with which to excite their taste buds and even impress their friends at dinner parties.
“A key factor driving UK sales of tropical fruit is the fall in the price of travel and the increase in Caribbean and Far Eastern countries such as Thailand as popular holiday destinations. Many people try exotic fruit out there and then are interested in buying them back home.”
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