Fresho, an online retailer platform based in Australia, the UK, Ireland, the United States, and New Zealand, has released its first UK Fruit and Veg report, built to provide a snapshot of the UK 2025 fruit and vegetable industry.

The report shows there's been a 30% surge in pre-prepped fruit and vegetable orders due to restaurants continuous grapple with staff shortages and crippling soaring costs. 

The report shows that the average number of orders, including cut, diced, peeled, or shredded products, has increased from an average of 308 orders per wholesale supplier in 2023 to almost 400 average orders per supplier in 2024, a 29.87% increase.

According to the findings, the average number of orders for cut, diced, peeled or shredded produce has increased from 308 per wholesale supplier in 2023 to nearly 400 in 2024 - a 29.87% jump.

To address the issue, the report shows, wholesalers are in some cases, modifying their business. For example, fresh food wholesaler Fisher and Woods has expanded its product offering beyond fresh produce to include approximately 3,500 products, including ready-made desserts - a
response to the industry's shortage of pastry chefs. 

Technology is also helping them respond to the industry pressures, and the report shows that the digital transformation is set to continue, along with a push on back to basics and continued simplification of menus. 

The report also shows that in the United Kingdom, lemons and bananas hold their position as the second and third most ordered food products from 2022 to 2024. As for quantity, citrus fruits dominate the volume rankings.

Lemons and limes have consistently held the top positions since 2022. In 2024, Royal Gala apples entered the top rankings for the first time.