Bristol fruit and veg suppliers 'shocked by rising costs'

The increase in price of fruit and vegetables has been described as "unprecedented"

Fruit and vegetable suppliers are struggling to keep up with the rising cost of produce.

Suppliers from across the South West have said prices have risen by around 30% compared to last year.

Increased transport costs, staffing problems and a shortage in produce are also causing problems.

"It's a double whammy, a huge range of problems are making things very hard," said wholesaler Chris Jenkins.

Mr Jenkins, owner of EW Jenkins - based at the Bristol Fruit Market - has been supplying groceries for almost 60 years and said the situation was "unprecedented".

Wholesaler Chris Jenkins is "trying his best" to keep prices down

"We have seen an escalation in prices over the last eight months like never before - we are really pushing to keep our prices low but it's hard," he said.

The recent drought has also affected the volume of produce available to suppliers.

Ian Crees, who works at The Market Garden, a greengrocer based in Cirencester, said the weather has had a "huge effect" on business.

Mr Crees supplies restaurants, cafes and caterers with fruit and veg

"There is hardly any rain and vegetables are not growing like they usually would," said Mr Crees.

"For that reason, there is a shortage in vegetables that we would usually have in excess."

Farmers have been encouraging retailers to accept "wonky veg" to reduce waste

Fuel costs, which have recently dropped from a record high earlier this year, have led some suppliers to reduce the number of deliveries they make.

Lyn Rawlings of Tooty Fruity, a vegbox delivery service based in Oldland Common, Gloucestershire, said she has been trialling new approaches to conserve fuel.

Ms Rawlings has had to make changes to delivery operations

"We have tried to be more efficient on our delivery rounds, packing more produce into the van for each delivery so that we can reduce the number of deliveries we make," she said.

"It's the small things that you use to take for granted that have now gone."