Sainsbury’s has announced it will be the first and only supermarket in the UK to sell figs sourced from within the country.
Stores in Essex and London will see the first batch of products, as the grocer attempts to encourage more farmers to grow fresh fruit normally seen in warmer climates.
Figs are usually sourced from agricultural firms in Spain, Turkey and California, but recent advances in technology have allowed these climates to be replicated in southern areas of the UK.
Sales of the fruit were originally trialled last summer, but because the trees were producing so many figs, the scheme has now been expanded across the capital and Essex.
Sainsbury’s exotic fruit technologist Sam Taylor said: “We’re always looking for new ways to offer more great tasting British products in our stores and figs come as the latest success.”
Mr Taylor added that the move towards home-grown fruit and vegetables in many major supermarkets is good for farmers in the UK, who have had a relatively tough growing season due to fodder shortages and a snowy spring.
