Grain & Crop
Growing fruit and veg juice
demand benefiting UK growers
FRUIT and vegetable producers are
benefiting from a growing demand
in juices, with overseas sales of
UK products reaching a record £65
million last year.
Announcing the figures, Defra said
demand was expected to rise even
further as the nationwide January
health kick gets under way.
Apple and orange juice are among the
UK’s biggest international sellers with
£35 million in sales. UK juices are
now shipped to 96 countries including
fruit havens Spain, Italy, Brazil and
America.
The demand for UK fruit and veg
drinks has soared by almost 40 per
cent since 2010 making Great Britain
the fourth biggest juice exporter in the
EU.
This adds to Britain’s growing
food and farming sector, which is
now worth £103 billion to the UK
economy and employs 1 in 8 people.
Environment Secretary Elizabeth
Truss said: “It’s testament to the can-
do attitude of our UK juicers that
they’re selling orange juice to the
likes of America and Spain, countries
famed for their orange production –
though given we’re already selling
ice to Sweden and cheese to France it
shouldn’t come as a great surprise.
“This dramatic rise in demand for UK
juiced fruit and veg is fantastic news
for our growing economy - with 96
countries worldwide now enjoying
our juices there’s potential for
industry to drive sales even further.”
Fruit juice and cordial company
Belvoir Fruit Farms has seen sales
soar with exports rising 60 per cent
between 2013 and 2014 to £2.6
million.
Its drinks are found in a growing
number of countries across Europe,
Scandinavia, America, Canada, the
Middle East and South East As