Sainsbury's signs 10-year deals to boost British salad crops

Sainsbury’s has signed two 10-year supply agreements aimed at increasing year-round availability of British-grown tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers.

The deals with Thanet Earth and Evesham Vale Growers are intended to support domestic production and reduce exposure to weather-related disruption in overseas growing regions.

The retailer is also targeting up to 60 per cent British sourcing for whole cucumbers this winter.

British cucumber availability traditionally falls during the colder months, when supermarkets rely more heavily on imports from warmer countries.

The winter crop will be grown at Thanet Earth in Kent, the UK’s largest single-site glasshouse complex.

Supplementary lighting, heat and managed carbon dioxide levels will be used to maintain growing conditions through the darker months.

Winter production requires additional energy and infrastructure, making certainty over future demand important when growers are considering investment.

Sainsbury’s said the length of its agreement had given Thanet Earth the confidence to expand the glasshouse capacity needed for commercial winter cucumber production.

Hannah O’Reilly, Category Director of Produce at Sainsbury’s, said: “With our changing weather, it’s more important than ever to find new, innovative solutions to make sure our customers can continue to enjoy the quality produce they want all year-round.”

The retailer said the agreements would also support a larger British tomato range and increase the availability of British-grown peppers.

Taste the Difference tomatoes generated more than £120 million in sales last year and accounted for over 65 per cent of Sainsbury’s total tomato sales.

Sainsbury’s also said this year’s British Tomato Fortnight produced its strongest tomato sales to date.

Paul Faulkner, Director at Evesham Vale Growers, said the agreement would allow the business to plan further ahead and invest in increasing tomato production.

The first new product linked to the agreements will be an 800g Taste the Difference British Salad Selection box, due to launch this summer.

While Sainsbury’s has set a target for British cucumber sourcing this winter, it has not published equivalent volume targets for tomatoes or peppers.

The announcement comes as growers face rising costs, climate volatility and continued pressure on fresh-produce supplies.

Sainsbury’s said the contracts were among the longest of their kind in the sector.

They form part of the retailer’s wider commitment to invest more than £5 billion in long-term arrangements with more than 2,400 British and Irish farms.