Farmer claims strawberry baskets are getting smaller as shrinkage affects fruit

Yorkshire farmer Annabelle Makin-Jones says supermarkets are cutting package sizes and threatening to cut orders. Photo: Annabelle Makin-Jones

Supermarkets are facing accusations that they are downsizing strawberry boxes to cope with rapidly rising costs.

A leading British strawberry grower said stores had threatened to cut orders and argued that many are deliberately reducing package sizes so as not to scare shoppers with price increases.

Annabelle Makin-Jones, a Yorkshire farmer whose strawberries are sold at Ocado, Booths and Harrods, says supermarkets have threatened to take fewer strawberries, than originally agreed due to their higher costs.

Ms Makin-Jones, founder of Annabel's Delicious British, said: “They make the packaging smaller because they don't want to break the price barrier, or they start selling strawberries at low prices. two packs for £4.50 when in fact a larger pack [with the same volume] would cost £4.

«The customer may think he's getting more for his money, but he no.”

Tesco, Britain's largest supermarket, currently sells the higher-end 'Finest' strawberries in 227g packs for £2.50. These baskets cost the same as last year's 300g packs at the supermarket.

This leaves the supermarket open to accusations of so-called «shrinkage» when companies downsize products while keeping the price the same .< /p>

Shrinkflation has become widespread due to soaring inflation, when supermarkets and food manufacturers are reluctant to pass on significant price increases to consumers as their own costs rise.

Cadbury recently reduced the size of their Dairy Milk Big Share button pouches from 240g to 184.8g, a 23 percent difference. The company blamed this on «significantly increased production costs», which «means that our products have become much more expensive to manufacture.»

Magnum ice cream has also reduced the amount of ice cream sold in multi-packs from four to three, despite the price remains the same.

British buyers buy around 87,000 tons of home grown strawberries each year and the UK season officially starts on May 1st.

2303 cpi rpi. as soon as the UK growing season begins.

Other retailers, including Sainsbury's and Waitrose, do not currently sell their large packs online.

Ms Makin-Jones, however, blamed the supermarket sector using smaller baskets to force farmers to negotiate prices.

She said: «Stores definitely don't want to pay producers more.»

Ms Makin-Jones said her business needs to pay about 13% more than last year to cover rising costs.

Farmers across the UK have complained about tough price negotiations with supermarkets after the cost of living crisis sparked a bitter price war in the sector.

Sainsbury's said more the strawberry pack was the subject of a «special purchase» when growers had a surplus of fruit, while Waitrose stated that its larger baskets were also available when there was more fruit in season.

A Waitrose spokesperson said: “We offer larger pack sizes as we reach peak strawberry season, and this year we haven't changed our approach. We intend to offer a larger package in the summer.”

Tesco declined to comment.

Tesco last week announced a reduction in the price of a pint of milk. to 90p on the first price cut in three years. The move prompted the five closest competitors to follow suit and cut their price to Tesco's.