Sainsbury's to Sell the Best of Great British Seasonal Produce

Sainsbury's is gearing up for a bumper harvest this year thanks to a warm spring and wet summer, with over 5,000 tonnes of seasonal British vegetables including broccoli, sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower on order from UK growers.

1,000 tonnes of cabbage, 635 tonnes of cauliflower, 940 tonnes of broccoli, 500 tonnes of sprouts and 2,000 tonnes of onions from Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, Cornwall and Scotland will arrive in Sainsbury's stores over the next four weeks thanks to a strong crop yield.

More British fruit will be available this weekend thanks to the recent warm spell, such as strawberries from growers in East Anglia, Yorkshire and the South West. The first batch of the Beni Shogun Fuji apple variety will also be available in stores this weekend from Suffolk and Kent. Sainsbury's is sells more varieties than any other supermarket and is the No.1 retailer for British apples and pears.

Simon Twigger, Director of Fresh and Frozen Food at Sainsbury's said: "Sainsbury's has supported British farming for over 140 years and we continue to offer British products at their best, when they are in season.

"With such a fantastic range of produce on offer in stores our customers really can Live Well For Less, safe in the knowledge that the seasonal vegetables they are buying are British through and through. We put a lot of time and energy into getting the best produce on our shelves and work closely with growers to keep a strong supply throughout the season."

According to the supermarket's recent Live Well For Less Index, the onion is the top over all other products when it comes to how happy it makes us relative to price.

The Sainsbury's agricultural team, technologists and buyers have strong relationships with growers and suppliers to ensure that supply chains are sustainable and efficient. Over 3,000 dairy, meat and crop farmers form the Sainsbury's Development Groups who meet on a regular basis. More are due to join over the coming months, further boosting the supply of quality British produce.

Sainsbury's Horticulture Manager, Jo Hipperson said: "Our growers have overcome the challenges of the warm spring and wet summer by carefully monitoring fluctuations in soil moisture. As a result we are now seeing fantastic yields in British produce such as onions and broccoli.

"It's a strong year for autumnal produce so we'd encourage all of our customers to celebrate this and make the most of the bountiful harvest."

Sainsbury's is also the No.1 retailer apples and pears for the third consecutive year, selling 13,000 more tonnes of home grown apples and pears than any other retailer since 2008. 51 different varieties of British apples will be available over the course of the new season and 9 varieties of British pears.

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