Salad days are over: Miserable summer will mean we have to pay more to get our greens
- Damp weather has slowed ripening of vegetables
- They are more at risk of fungal disease
- Production has slowed across Europe
Cost of being healthy: The price of salad vegetables is soaring after an unusually wet summer slowed production (file picture)
More and more of us are trying to improve our diets by eating plenty of fresh, varied salads.
That may be more easily said than done this year, however, because prices of vegetables including onions, tomatoes, cucumber and carrots are rocketing following our wet summer.
The problem has been blamed on unusually damp conditions slowing ripening and potentially increasing the chance of fungal disease.
The wholesale price of salad tomatoes is 45 per cent more than last year, while the cost of beef tomatoes has rocketed by 42 per cent.
Cherry tomatoes are currently 22 per cent more expensive than last year and plum tomatoes 33 per cent more, commodity analysts Mintec revealed yesterday.
Trade magazine The Grocer said: 'After last year's deadly E.coli outbreak in Germany, demand for salad vegetables across the UK tumbled, leading to bargain bin prices. But as memories fade, fresh tomatoes are back in favour and prices are soaring.'
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The problem is not just confined to the UK either. The climate across northern Europe is still cooler and more humid than expected for this time of year.
The bad weather in countries including the Netherlands has led to lower production over the summer - driving prices even higher.
Supply and demand: Last year, prices dropped as the market for veg faltered following an outbreak of E.coli. Pictured, cucumbers being thrown out in Spain
Mintec senior analyst Robert Miles said: 'Humidity and a lack of sunshine and heat remains a concern and there are some fears that persistent dampness and high humidity in the month ahead may continue to slow ripening and may lead to increased incidences of fungal disease.'
Fresh tomato volumes elsewhere in the EU are also lower than normal - but in these cases because of unusually hot and dry weather.
The tomato processing sector is likely to push up prices too, as it faces a supply squeeze, with global production forecast to be down by 7.3 per cent year-on-year in 2012.
Worldwide production is expected to be at 34.4million tons this year - down from 37.1m tons in 2011, driven by falls in China and the EU.
Figures from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs show that the average prices charged at UK wholesale markets for fruit and vegetables have increased steadily year-on-year.
Wholesale price of salad vegetables 2011-2012
(Defra figures)
| Item | Aug 2011 | Aug 2012 |
|---|---|---|
 Cos lettuce | 41p | 50p |
 Spring onions | 22p | 24p |
 Cherry Tomatoes | 46p/250g | 58p/250g |
 Carrots | 31p/kg | 46p/kg |
 Cucumbers | 57p/kg | 66p/kg |
 White onions | 26p/kg | 27p/kg |
 Peas | £1.19/kg | £1.22/kg |
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