The Big Apple

[cruiser2]

No not New York, the ones you buy at green grocers.
They have got much smaller. Some would be nearly three inches in diameter. Now they have shrunk and are only one and a half inches in diameter.
Talk about portion control. Two bites and it is gone.

[meriad]

I think most fruit, unless local and in season, will be smaller than it should be.

I also do wonder how much of the size issue is to do with the shortage of lorry drivers? If a shop can only get one crate of apples at a time it will be in their interest to have more smaller ones that they sell at the same price as large ones?

[Kaz]

I think you may have a point there, Ria x

[Workingman]

This issue was raised on the C4 programme, Food Unwrapped, a few years back.

Apparently the packers want items to be of a certain diameter + or - a bit in order to fit in their wrappers - six apples, four kiwi fruits, three large onions etc. Even berries in punnets are 'of a size' in order to get them as near to the stated weight as possible.

Much of the stuff that is over or under goes for juicing with the pulp added to animal feedstock, though some makes it to farmer's markets or independent grocers. However a lot just gets ploughed back in as it is not economically valuable.