While you're probably aware of the benefits of eating plenty of fruit and vegetables, with the NHS stating they are a good source of vitamins and minerals, getting enough may be a challenge if money is tight.
Fresh fruit and veg may also be tricky to access right now, with shortages and buying restrictions in place at several supermarkets.
Here, Which? explains the simple steps you can take to help save money on fruit and veg, and outlines what's behind the current supermarket shortages.
1. Try ‘wonky’ fruit and veg
The number of people purchasing ‘wonky’ veg lines climbed by 19.3% last year, according to figures from market analysts Kantar. They not only offer a way of preventing food waste, but can be cheaper than their 'non wonky' alternatives.
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2. Buy in-season fruit and veg
Putting produce in your basket that’s in-season not only means it’s fresh, but can help you save money, too.
The organisation Love British Food says any food in-season is cheaper because you’re buying it when ‘it is in abundance and it has not travelled a long way’, which means it ‘reduces the energy (and associated CO2 emissions) needed to grow and transport the food.’
Some of the fruits and veg in season at different times of the year include:
Oranges: Cauliflower: Rhubarb: Asparagus:Carrots: Tomatoes: Broccoli: Apples:Leeks:Pears: Sweetcorn: Find out more:3. Grow or pick your own produce
Rather than heading to the supermarket for your fruit and veg, growing your own could work out cheaper.
Some of the easiest fruit and vegetables to grow yourself include courgettes, potatoes and tomatoes.
But it's not just money you will be saving by growing your own produce. Home-grown fruit and veg tastes better, as it can be cooked within minutes of harvesting. You'll also be able to ensure that your food is grown with limited chemical inputs.
While supermarkets tend to only stock packets of seeds in the spring months, local garden centres will have a selection year-round.
If you don’t have the space or time to grow your own produce, consider going to a ‘Pick Your Own’ farm, where you can choose your own fruit or veg - plus, it can be a fun day out.
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4. Sign up to the Healthy Start scheme
If eligible, you’ll get a card with money loaded onto it that you can use at certain shops and supermarkets. The card can be used to buy milk, vegetables, pulses and infant formula. Sainsbury’s is currently topping up the government-funded NHS Healthy Start scheme by £2.
Find out more:What’s happening with the fruit and veg shortage?
Aldi, Asda, Morrisons and Tesco have introduced purchase limits for some fruit and vegetables, as supermarkets face shortages of fresh produce.
Asda said it is capping sales of some items - including tomatoes, peppers and lettuce - at three each per customer, while Morrisons is has introduced limits of two on products like cucumbers in its stores.
Lidl, M&S, Sainsbury's and Waitrose have said they had no plans to ration fresh produce.
The shortages are largely the result of extreme weather in Spain and north Africa - which are where the UK imports around 95% of its tomatoes and 90% of its lettuces from in the winter months, according to figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
The BRC says the shortages are expected to last ‘a few weeks’, until the UK growing season begins, and retailers find alternative sources of supply.
As well as the shortages, data from Nationwide Produce has found the cost for boxes of some vegetables are two or three times the typical price for this time of year.
Find out more:source https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/tips-to-save-on-fruit-and-veg-a7xbg1E6gk30