The Future's Bight, The Futureʼs Orange And Satsuma, Tangerine, Clementine.

   03 Dec 12

British shoppers are showing they are getting more than a little fruity with the latest Kantar figures revealing exceptional growth throughout the citrus sector.

Sales figures from the past 52 weeks show that consumer spend has increased by a staggering £26.6 million resulting in over 7,500 additional tons of citrus being imported to the UK over the past year, according to latest Kantar information.

This growth is set to continue over the festive season with sales of traditional favourites such as Satsumas, Tangerines and Clementines peaking throughout the month of December and suppliers of these lines reporting record shipments arriving on the shores in the coming weeks.

Tesco remain the UK's largest citrus supplier with a 27% market share.

Tim Battey, Tesco Citrus Buyer states:

"The category has seen a strong volume performance in the past 12 months.

Year on year we have sold over two thousand tons of additional citrus fruit in store and this trend is set to continue.

We have attributed these remarkable sales to the diversity of the offer, this is one of the only product groups that appeals to the whole family and their way of life regardless of age or demographic.

From the Orange, consumed mainly by adults through to the soft citrus varieties such as Satsumas or Clementines that are a firm favourite with kids - there is something for everyone".

The results are also something of a boost for the struggling Spanish economy with the country supplying around 43% of the fruits to Great Britain, a figure that has increased by 15% year on year.

This has not gone unnoticed amongst Spanish citrus growers who rely on British retail as a key outlet during these times of austerity. The UK is now the country's largest consumer of Spanish citrus outside of the domestic market.

The year's success has also seen an increase in varietal development to compliment customer demand with products such as giant tangerines along with new flavoursome varieties entering stores.

However despite strong growth in terms of sales and volume many shoppers still do not understand the difference between the main citrus on offering.

Know Your Citrus

Satsumas - Satsumas are the easiest citrus to peel and are often seedless. They are distinguished by their 'saucer' like appearance and are yellow in colour. The fruits are very juicy and almost always seedless.

Clementines - Are presented with a darker, tighter skin but still easy to peel. The fruits are high in juice and sweeter than the Satsuma. They also have a low 'pip' count making them ideal for kids.

Tangerines - The largest of the soft citrus fruits - with a dark thin skin which makes them harder to peel. The citrus is often more acidic than that of a Satsuma's or Clementine's with more 'pips'. However the Tangerine is noted for its high juice content, which makes them ideal for squeezing.

Oranges - Sweet and juicy the queen of fruits. The true bastion of the citrus range and where it all began.