The move comes amid fears of drought affecting crops imported from abroad.
The supermarket giant has signed new 10-year partnership agreements with Evesham Vale Growers and Thanet Earth.
These agreements are designed to build a more resilient supply chain.
Sainsbury’s boosts supply of tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers
Hannah O’Reilly, category director of produce at Sainsbury’s, said: “With our changing weather, it’s more important than ever to find new, innovative solutions to make sure our customers can continue to enjoy the quality produce they want all year-round.
“Investing in more British production and supporting our suppliers to innovate is helping us build a stronger, more resilient supply chain in a category that has been impacted by weather-based shocks in recent years.
“By giving our brilliant British growers the certainty to invest and innovate through long-term contracts such as these with Thanet Earth and Evesham Vale Growers will help us to continue to support British farming for years to come.”
Sainsbury’s said it hoped its long-term agreement with Thanet Earth would extend availability of British cucumbers beyond the summer season into the winter months for the first time.
Thanet Earth, a large glasshouse site in Kent, uses advanced technology to produce crops, including controlled lighting, heat, and carbon dioxide, to maintain production during the darkest months of the year.
In early 2023, supermarkets imposed limits of three on packs of tomatoes, as well as cucumbers, peppers, lettuce, salad bags and some vegetables after a combination of bad weather and related transport problems in North Africa and Europe led to widespread shortages on UK shelves.
Rob James, technical director at Thanet Earth, said: “Working with Sainsbury’s in this way means we can plan ahead with more certainty and keep pushing what’s possible for British growing.
“A good example is our investment in the technology needed to grow cucumbers through the winter, creating the right conditions for the crop and helping bring more British-grown produce to customers at a time of year when that has not previously been possible.”
The benefits of these partnerships are expected to appear in stores as early as this summer, starting with the launch of the new Taste the Difference British Salad Selection 800g box.
Morrisons bringing back popular feature to some stores
In other supermarket news, Morrisons is reintroducing its Market Street meat and fish counters after customer feedback, following their removal from 70 stores last year as part of a cost-cutting procedure.
A spokesman for Morrisons said: “Our Market Street counters are part of our DNA.
“They’re at the heart of our offer and a real differentiator for Morrisons.
“We closed a small number of meat and fish counters last year – and have learned a lot from that.
“We’ve listened to customers and are now planning to re-open a number of these over the coming months.
Morrisons is bringing back some of its Market Street meat and fish counters after public feedback (Image: Ian West/PA Wire)
“So, customers can look forward to having skilled butchers and fishmongers back in store to prepare their meat and fish just the way they like it.”
Some 35 meat and 35 fish counters were closed across the UK, but Morrisons has now confirmed that its Great Park Newcastle, Herne Bay, Yeadon, and Bolton Dawes shops are among the first to see the return of the service.
The spokesman said: “The first meat and fish counters have already re-opened at Great Park Newcastle, Thornbury, Herne Bay, Yeadon and Bolton Dawes, with more to follow soon.”
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Additional stores are expected to have their Market Street counters reinstated in the coming months.
The counters will include flatbeds and “grab and go” options, offering customers greater convenience.
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