Eight in 10 Brits on a mission to get healthy by adding fruit and veg to their weekly shop, research reveals
A poll of 2,000 adults found 79 per cent agree supermarkets should do more to prioritise British produce.
3
3
The same percentage of Brits added it is important to include homegrown vegetables and salad in their weekly shop.
Of these, 67 per cent said they want to support British farmers, and 47 per cent recognise it reduces the UK's reliance on imports.
However, when looking at their shopping basket, just six per cent know where their produce was grown - despite 63 per cent wanting to be more knowledgeable about the origins of their produce.
The research was commissioned by GrowUp Farms and its brand Unbeleafable, which offers salad leaves grown without pesticides, year-round, in climate-controlled conditions grown in the UK.
Will Howard, UK MD and CCO from the vertical farming company, said: 'It's really encouraging to see so many people looking for homegrown produce.
'There's real power in choosing local – it means fewer food miles, fresher taste, and more support for British farmers.
'But there is still a lot more to be done.
' Food insecurity remains a major challenge in the UK. In 2024, only half of the salad leaves eaten in the UK were grown here.
'We're here to change the world by growing better, showing that people can back British produce – all while enjoying food which tastes amazing.'
The research went on to reveal 62 per cent are eager to support British farming even if ends up costing them a little more.
What is kefir? The fermented milk drink that could improve your energy, skin and even Alzheimer's
Respondents estimate they willingly spend as much as £32 a month more on their shopping as a result of opting to buy locally grown fruit or veg.
Overall, 72 per cent would be willing to spend more on British-grown vegetables over imported.
And, according to the survey conducted via OnePoll, more than two-thirds would pay more for UK-grown salad leaves.
Will Howard from GrowUp Farms, which has its Unbeleafable products available in the likes of Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Co-op and Ocado added: 'We know shoppers want to integrate delicious, vibrant, and healthy food into their everyday meals, so we listened."
3
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
22 minutes ago
- The Guardian
More than 100 survivors of alleged sexual abuse enter Harrods' scheme for compensation
More than 100 survivors of alleged sexual abuse by the former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed have entered the company's compensation scheme, the luxury department store has confirmed. The retailer set up the scheme after dozens of women came forward with allegations of abuse by the late entrepreneur going back as far as 1977 after the broadcast last year of the BBC documentary Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods. On Tuesday, Harrods confirmed applicants to a compensation scheme set up in March had started receiving compensation. Those eligible can apply for a number of types of redress including general damages of up to £200,000 and a work impact payment of up to £150,000 as well as payments for 'wrongful testing' and treatment costs. All eligible applicants are offered a meeting with a senior Harrods' representative to receive an apology in person or by video, as well as an individual written apology. The scheme, developed with law firm MPL Legal and funded by Harrods, will remain live until 31 March next year. The company has stressed that the scheme does not require survivors to undergo medical assessment and claims can be based on 'documentary evidence' without alleged victims having to speak in person about their experiences. In a three-month update, the store announced that survivors who were employed by Fayed's private airline company Fayair (Jersey) Co Ltd and claim to have suffered abuse before 7 May 2010 – when Al Fayed sold the business – can now also apply to the scheme. 'Since the redress scheme's inception, more than 100 survivors have entered the process, with many having had eligibility confirmed,' Harrods said. 'Compensation awards and interim payments began being issued to eligible survivors at the end of April. Survivors are making use of both the non-medical and medical pathways.' The Metropolitan police said last year that 111 women had made allegations against Fayed, the youngest of whom is thought to have been 13 at the time. The force has apologised to alleged victims of Fayed for the distress they had suffered. Complaints against the Met over its handling of allegations will be investigated by the force itself under the direction of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). The Met is also reviewing 21 allegations that were made before Fayed died in 2023, and referred two of these to the IOPC in November. In documents on the scheme's website, Harrods 'apologises unreservedly' for the sexual abuse people suffered and 'wants everyone who is eligible to receive this compensation'. If a person makes a successful application and accepts an offer, it is treated as 'full and final settlement', meaning they waive their right to pursue action for damages. Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, or 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at
The Independent
24 minutes ago
- The Independent
What surging cost of borrowing means for Rachel Reeves' tax plans
A bit of a shocker has emerged on the public finances, and it is unambiguously bad news. Britain borrowed some £20.7bn last month – the second-highest June figure since records began in 1993 and behind only the panicky pandemic year of 2020. It was £6.6bn higher than in June 2024, and as much as £16.4bn of the total was accounted for by debt interest. Worse than any of that, it was higher than City expectations. The gilts market was further discomfited. Pressure on the public finances is plainly not easing… Why is government borrowing so high? Inflation, is the short answer. It was up again last month and is likely to edge higher in the coming months thanks to a bump up in energy costs. About a quarter of UK debt is index-linked to prices, which means that any uptick in official inflation feeds directly through to the public finances. And domestic pressures on public spending remain acute. Britain's government pays more to borrow funds than most comparable advanced economies thanks to Brexit, Trump's trade wars, Covid recovery, and longer-term weakness in investment and productivity. What can Rachel Reeves do about it? Keep her job is one thing. During the welfare bill rebellion fiasco earlier this month, the rumour she might be sacked or quit pushed gilt yields higher, which in turn meant that raising new money would be even more costly. Yields subsided, but stability at the Treasury is a valuable asset in itself; markets fully expect another tough Budget, as does everyone. Given setbacks in social security spending and disappointing growth, she'll probably need to raise another £20bn to be on the safe side, to deal with future shocks and meet her own her 'iron clad' fiscal rules. What are her options? Mainly new taxes, and that includes sin taxes such as on gambling, sugar in food, or petrol and diesel. She might also tighten up tax breaks on pension savings, extend the freeze in income tax thresholds, and target capital gains (again). She might also ask the Bank of England not to pay so much interest on the deposits commercial banks keep with it; that might sort most of it out, but she'll still need to look again at aspects of public spending. There seems less hope that the two-child benefit cap will be lifted. What about her 'non-negotiable' fiscal rules? The person Reeves would have to negotiate with is Rachel Reeves, so it's possible she could persuade herself to tweak the rules again; but as she pointed out at the recent Mansion House dinner, rules about borrowing merely reflect the reality of market sentiment. If the market can tolerate another adjustment, it might happen – but probably not at the moment. Will the Bank of England still cut interest rates in August? Yes. The weight of expectations is too heavy and the Bank still judges that, a year to 18 months out, inflation will subside back toward the target rate of 2 per cent (absent any nasty surprises). So interest rates will be down to 4 per cent next month; after that, we may have a bit of a wait because service sector and wage inflation remain stubbornly elevated. Does any of this matter politically? Labour desperately needs to win a reputation for economic competence, and the image of a government not in control of spending and debt would dump the party out of office for another generation. A Tory or Reform government on the back of chaos would be a nailed-on certainty for the next election, whenever it comes. However, an immediate major crash, such as was seen after the 2022 Truss mini budget, the collapse of Sterling out of the Exchange Rate Mechanism in 1992, or the 1976 IMF crisis, doesn't seem likely. It's more of a long, thankless and politically bruising slog for the next few years to get the public finances on a sustainable basis. Contrary to some predictions, Reeves may have to have longer in her 'dream job' than even she might wish for.
The Guardian
24 minutes ago
- The Guardian
A ‘golden age' for nuclear power? Sizewell C must hit budget first
Welcome to 'a new golden age' for nuclear power, said Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, as he signed off the £38bn (if we're lucky) Sizewell C mega-plant in Suffolk. It will certainly look golden from the point of view of Centrica. The owner of British Gas is investing £1.3bn for a 15% equity stake in Sizewell on terms that look attractive for it. Centrica's explanation of the mechanics behind Sizewell's financing were more helpful than the government's because it demonstrated how far ministers have had to go to attract private investors for a project that was once advertised to cost £20bn. In short, Centrica reckons it will make an internal rate of return above 12% if Sizewell arrives at £40bn (all the numbers being in 2024 prices). But the revealing part was what happens if costs overrun and the construction bill ends up at £47.7bn. In that case, the company's rate of return will still come in above 10%. That is in nominal terms, so one has to knock off inflation, but it's still a decent number. And – critically – it is as low as it could go. After £47.7bn, taxpayers or billpayers are on the hook. Chris O'Shea, Centrica's chief executive, called the terms 'acceptable' and the stock market agreed. Centrica's shares rose 4% and analysts at Jefferies noted 'robust protections'. The Canadian group, La Caisse, with a 20% stake, and the UK's Amber Infrastructure (7.6%) are the other investors alongside the state itself (44.9%) and French developer EDF (12.5%). It is hard to believe HM Treasury imagined even a couple of years ago it would have to be quite so generous to attract private sector investors. That, unfortunately, is the reality of higher government borrowing costs. It all flows into the financing of big projects. So does the experience of overruns and delays at Hinkley Point C, the plant in Somerset that is due to come on stream in the 2030s. So does the need to lock in investors for years. The option of carving out private investors entirely at Sizewell was a nonstarter: you need somebody to be incentivised to hold management's feet to the fire in the hope of landing close to the headline £38bn. Centrica, as the 20% owner of the UK's nuclear fleet, is as good as any for that task (even if it's not clear what La Caisse and Amber offer). It's just that the private sector has said, in effect, that it would accept some of the risk of cost overruns – but not too much and not to a degree that would seriously eat into returns. Meanwhile, the state is providing most of the debt, which is the greater part of the overall funding package, to the tune of £36bn to be channelled through the misleadingly named National Wealth Fund. In essence, this is a big heave from the government to make Sizewell happen. What does it mean for consumers? Well, a £1-a-month charge on electricity bills from this autumn for a decade, for starters. That is how the 'regulated asset base' model works. But the mystery – still – is what we'll pay for Sizewell's electricity eventually. Here is the government's less-than-clear claim: the project 'could' create savings of £2bn a year versus the alternative of relying on renewable sources, mainly onshore and offshore wind. That is because Sizewell's higher capital costs are 'outweighed by the benefits of reduced network, interconnector and balancing costs'. In other words, nuclear power is easier to connect to the grid and its output is firm. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion Put that way, there is still an argument for doing more nuclear. But the 'could' reflects the risk of cost overruns, which, if they become severe, will have to be recouped in bills. The 'golden age' depends on Sizewell's ability to hit its budget.
