Price confusion, fruit without taste and vegetables without vitamins - the downside of supermarkets' dominance of British fruit and vegetable supply is investigated in Which? (UK Consumer?s Association)

Supermarkets' confusing pricing tactics make it hard for shoppers to spot a good deal:

-- Prices are sometimes given per pack or per item, with no indication of weight. In a Sainsbury's Central, Braeburn apples were being sold loose for ?1.99 per kg, or ?1.79 for a bag of seven.

-- However, pre-packaged produce can sometimes be cheaper. In Tesco, loose cherry tomatoes cost ?3.99 per kg, while those in a punnet cost 68p per pack - or ?2.72 per kg.

-- Tesco used large boards displaying prices per pound rather than per kg - making it look cheaper than its rivals. The price per kg was relegated to a small shelf label. Tesco claims its customers prefer imperial measurements, but this practice goes against advice from the Trading Standards Institute.

Supermarkets often place more emphasis on looks than taste, with exacting standards for the size, shape and appearance of fruit and veg they sell. Taste is sometimes treated as an optional, more expensive, extra. Asda's pre-packed Extra Special Chantenay carrots, for example, are twice the price of full-sized loose carrots.

Similarly, nutrition isn't high on supermarkets' list of priorities. Which? found vitamin C levels in some pre-sliced and packaged supermarket fruit and veg were far below normal levels for unprepared produce. Asda sliced runner beans, for example, contained just 11 per cent of the textbook level of vitamin C, and Marks & Spencer's fresh mango contained just 42 per cent.

Malcolm Coles, editor of Which?, said:

'Supermarket fruit and veg looks perfect, but it isn't. Supermarkets should give shoppers more information about where their food comes from, how it's been prepared and how nutritious it is. But a good start would be to tell them how much it costs in a clear and consistent way.'

Ends
Notes to Editors:
Research for this article was carried out in February and March 2004.

WHICH?