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Tesco reduces price of organic produce

Tesco

7 August 2008

The price of Britain’s most popular organic vegetable and salad lines has been cut to levels last seen almost a decade ago at Tesco in response to customer feedback.
The cuts - made to allow shoppers to still afford their favourite organic produce during the present credit crunch - will reduce some prices to what they were at the start of the decade.
Tesco move on prices means that many organic favourites such as potatoes, carrots, broccoli, asparagus, avocados and peppers will be sold for not much more than the price of their standard equivalents.
Much of the price fall is due to an increase of available UK produce. Tesco is the biggest buyer of British organic food and has listed 40 new organic produce suppliers this year alone.
As a result of last year’s poor yield – caused by widespread flooding - most organic produce was imported from Europe and America, hiking up the price.
But now with British organic produce available in quantity again the price has come down and Tesco is passing on the saving to shoppers.
Said Tesco organic produce buyer Jonathan Corbett: “Many people are feeling the pinch because of the credit crunch right now so we want to help.
“Shoppers have told us that they want organic produce but want to pay prices closer to the standard equivalent and this is what we have done.
“On top of shoppers’ tighter budgets most UK retailers have increased the price of organic produce as a result of last year’s poor harvest caused by flooding across the country.
“In fact last year’s organic harvest was the poorest in British farming history and many farmers are still counting the cost of a much lower yield.”
Since the credit crunch really kicked in three months ago demand for organic produce across all retailers has fallen by 8.1 per cent, say independent retail analysts TNS. They value Britain’s organic produce market at £283 million per year.
In the last 12 weeks demand for organic fruit has fallen by 18 per cent while organic salad has dropped by three per cent and vegetables is down by one per cent.
Added Tesco’s Jonathan Corbett: “We will not be beaten on price and aim to continually have the cheapest and best organic produce on the high street as a result of having the UK’s biggest organic supply base.
“On key lines we will be reducing the price difference of organic produce to bring it more in line with the standard variety. At the moment the difference can be up to 40 per cent more for organic.
“We will also continually cut the price of different organic lines on a weekly basis.”
Tesco has over 70 organic produce lines, including nine potato, seven cabbage, and six tomato lines.
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For more information please contact Tesco Press Office on 01992 644645

Among Tesco’s organic produce savings are: