KATE NEWTON If you like your meat and three veg you will be forking out a bit extra to eat well this winter. The heavy rain in April and unusually cold start to winter hit Hawke's Bay growers hard and is starting to hit the pockets of families. Joanne Young said her family'sOnekawa Fruit Shop was selling some vegetables for a couple of dollars more than they would have last year. The family grow their own vegetables on a 24ha property but were having to make do with a lot less produce than usual. "It's everything really - broccoli, cauli, cabbage and lettuce. Lettuce is so expensive at the moment," Mrs Young said. "We are looking forward to some warmer weather." The fruit shop manager at Pernel Fruitworld, Norma Waikari, said the price rise had been dramatic and some families were feeling the pinch. "Some still come in and buy them because that's what they want but others are digging their heels in until the prices come down," she said. Luckily Mrs Waikari is a "cabbage and potatoes person" and didn't consider herself too affected by the price rise. While most supermarkets wouldn't comment on the price rise Countdown Napier manager Steve Green was prepared to say it was mainly the greens that had become more expensive at his supermarket. "We're talking the likes of broccoli and cauliflower," Mr Green said. Although it wasn't a big deal for the supermarket Mr Green said some families would be feeling the pinch. Because headquarters in Auckland sourced the produce, Countdown Napier had not had any problems with supply. Consumers have been warned not to expect prices to drop until August or September.
