To mark British Tomato Week (22-28 May), the British Tomato Growers’ Association has commissioned research that looks into the purchasing attitudes and habits of over 2000 Brits.
Revealing a disconnect between consumer's thoughts and actions, the study has uncovered that despite over half of the public (57.5%) believing it is ‘better to buy British’, figures show in fact shoppers don’t pay much attention when they shop.
Even with good intentions, 61% of respondents say they ‘don’t remember’ which country the last fruit and vegetables they bought came from.
When asking why people preferred to buy British, almost half (47.4%) said it was because it supports local business, with a third (36.3%) saying British produce was ‘fresher’ – one in five (20.8%) said it was because British produce tastes better.
One in ten (11.2%) say buying British has a high “feel good factor”.
Recent current events have made Brits think more about their food shop, with more than a third (38.3%) of respondents saying they’ve thought more about the origin of purchased fruit and veg since the Brexit vote.
30.8% have given it more thought after a series of recent vegetable shortages were caused by bad weather in Spain.
Keep an eye out for British
With 50% saying they consider tomatoes an essential part of their weekly shop, the British Tomato Growers’ Association is asking Brits to keep an eye out for British produce and start supporting local producers when possible.
The British Tomato Growers’ Association’s Adrian Williams says: “Events such as the Brexit vote and the recent bad weather in Spain have made fruit and veg supplies and imported produce a hot topic in 2017, so we hope this means that more people will start making the conscious choice to buy British produce over foreign-grown counterparts.
“When it comes to imported tomatoes, there is a real difference in the quality of our local produce compared to those that have racked up transit miles. British tomatoes can go from picked to plated in less than 24 hours - our produce more than meets Brits’ demand for the freshness and taste.
“This year, we hope more people head to the shops and support our local farmers. They will soon enough see that from salads, to salsa – there is nothing like the taste of a British tomato, especially given the abundance of varieties and colour now been grown by British growers.”
British Tomato Week takes place at the start of the main British tomato season each year, aiming to raise awareness of and encourage people to buy locally grown produce. British Tomato Week 2017 will mark the weeks’ 13th anniversary.
The British Tomato Growers’ Association represents 90% of commercial tomato growers in Britain.
British Tomato Week takes place between 22–28 May 2017. Share your British tomato cooking snaps with the hashtag #BritishTomatoWeek.
