Save UK fruit and vegetables
The UK must increase fruit and vegetable consumption while supporting British growers to produce food in ways that restore soil, protect nature and cut emissions. We’re calling for a bold, joined-up horticulture strategy that delivers healthy diets and a resilient food system.
Sign the petitionWe are facing multiple and intersecting crises in climate, nature and health. To tackle all of these, our food systems need a serious overhaul – including the way we grow, eat, and supply fruit and vegetables.
Horticulture may offer an essential lifeline. Our journey towards healthier and sustainable diets requires a major boost in fruit and vegetable consumption, which will require a surge in local production. As it stands, less than 2% of the UK’s farmland is used for horticulture - that needs to change.
The UK horticulture sector is facing huge challenges that hinder the intake of local produce and our ability to grow our own food. In a time when we need more locally-grown produce, half of British fruit and vegetable producers may go out of business in the next year.
This impacts what we eat. Poor diets that lack fresh fruit and vegetable lead to poor health. This then puts a big strain on our NHS.
We must act now.
How can fruit and vegetable production save the planet?
Fruit and vegetable production, also known as horticulture, is the golden thread linking food security, public health and environmental sustainability. The government must stand up for fruit and vegetable growers by reintroducing the previously dropped horticulture strategy.
Our horticulture report sets out 7 steps through which the UK Government can support the sector. This would secure a sustainable future for fruit and vegetable production and consumption in England.
Homegrown: a roadmap to resilient fruit and vegetable production in England
Published 01 Jan 2026
A policy roadmap setting out how England can build a more resilient, sustainable fruit and vegetable sector by scaling up agroecological production and supporting growers.
What the government needs to change
We call on the government to go further than the previous government’s blueprint to grow the UK fruit and vegetable sector and deliver a bold cross-departmental horticulture strategy, to ensure a resilient fruit and vegetable supply.
Increase national fruit and vegetable intake
The UK's consumption rates of fruit and vegetables are alarmingly below the suggested 5-a-day mark. This deficit becomes more concerning for children. 29% of children aged 5 to 10 consume less than a single vegetable portion daily (Peas please | Veg facts, 2021). Furthermore, as inflation rises, the link between income and fruit and vegetable consumption becomes stark.
We need a multifaceted approach, encompassing out-of-home sectors, public procurement strategies and bridging the gap between recommended intake and local produce.
For instance, the School Fruit and Vegetables scheme, which currently provides primary school children in Key Stage 1 with a free piece of fruit or vegetable every school day, is a great opportunity to support healthy eating and more local, agroecological production.
We’re calling for more local, organic produce to be supplied into the scheme, using a dynamic procurement approach that supports smaller producers.
Put plainly, we need to consume more fruit and vegetables - and where those fruit and vegetables come from, and how they’re grown, matters.
Shift support towards local, organic production
Supporting healthier diets and British farmers means producing more of our fruit and vegetables here in the UK. Where and how they are grown play a key role. Addressing climate and nature emergencies while prioritising public health means we need to focus on low-input, agroecological growing practices, like organic.
This means reducing chemical inputs. Growing using organic methods produces nourishing food that replenishes soil health and supports resilient ecosystems.
A fair food system is achievable. To get there, we need to think big - but we also need to think small and more local.
Reform supply chains to support smaller producers
Supply chains must include a broader range of producers. That means small and medium producers, including those catering only to local markets. Dynamic procurement models could shorten these supply chains, with vast potential lying in public procurement. The government must prioritise local and organic produce for our schools, hospitals, offices, care homes and prisons, through programmes like the School Fruit and Vegetables Scheme.
Address the peatland dependency in horticulture
A big chunk of England's fresh veggies comes from lowland peat soils. The East Anglian Fens, for instance, contribute to around 35% of UK-produced vegetables - that’s half of our lettuce and over 75% of our celery.
The fertility of drained peatlands has made them prime candidates for farming. But this drainage, over time, causes soil erosion and turns peatland from major carbon sinks to big carbon emitters.
To get to net zero, peatlands will need restoration, rewetting them so that they can store carbon. This means expanding horticulture in other areas, including in and around cities, and a push toward agroecological and organic farming methods for better soil health.
Deliver a joined-up, cross-departmental horticulture strategy
The government must take a joined-up approach to horticulture. Cross-departmental collaboration is key to holistically addressing public health, climate, and nature. This would mean departments working together, including Defra, the Department for Health and Social Care, the Department of Education, and the Department for Communities and Local Government.
A better food system is possible
A transition to nature-friendly farming, or agroecology, in the UK is possible and necessary. It could provide a sufficient and healthy diet to a growing population using farming that's free of pesticides and artificial fertilisers, like organic. Plus, it could tackle the growing issues of climate impacts and wildlife decline.
Why this matters now
How we grow and supply fruit and vegetables sits at the heart of the climate crisis, the nature emergency and the public health crisis. Reforming horticulture policy isn’t a niche issue, it’s central to building a fairer, healthier and more resilient food system. If we want thriving rural communities, healthy children and a stable climate, we must change how we produce our food.
Our mission is to fix food for all, from farm to fork. We work with caterers, schools and communities within local food systems to make good, healthy and affordable food accessible to everyone. Find out how we are transforming the food system