Beetroot record sales

• Once it mainly came pickled in a jar of vinegar and would sit unloved and untouched at the back of the fridge.
• But now sales in the humble beetroot have soared in the UK with health conscious shoppers snapping up record amounts of the vegetable.
• Sales of fresh beetroot have leapt by more than 10 per cent with more recipes and salads incorporating the purple root vegetable.
• In the past year alone British families have tucked into an astounding 18.3 million kilos of beetroot - or £42m pounds worth.
• The rise in sales is not only good news for producers and retailers across the UK but should also benefit consumers.
• Beetroot is extremely good for you and the vegetable is one of the richest sources of folic acid, something that is essential for normal tissue growth.
• It is also a rich source of carbohydrate, protein and has high levels of important minerals as well as vitamins - A, B6 and C – plus powerful antioxidants.
• Tests have also shown it has high levels of folate that can protect against high blood pressure, Alzheimer’s and dementia.
• Market analysts Kantar Worldpanel said the rise in sales was linked to the fact the vegetable had become more affordable in recent years.
• Catherine Cross of Kantar said: 'There has also been an increase in the number of shoppers buying it, together with a decrease in the price per kilo.'
• G's Fresh Beetroot of Cambridge, which is the UK's single biggest supplier of beetroot, said an average retail price drop of more than 10 per cent to around £2.30 per kilo had been major factor behind increased consumption.
• The company said its appeal had also been bolstered by recent studies into its health-giving properties.
• According to a study by the William Harvey Research Institute at Queen Mary University in London, patients who drank a glass of beetroot juice a day had significantly lower blood pressure.
• Graham Forber, managing director of G's Fresh Beetroot, said: 'Although studies like this have centred on juice, there has been a knock-on benefit for the vegetable. 
• 'People have also become more adventurous as beetroot has become more heavily featured in magazine recipes.'