Why is fruit so bad in Spain

I go to Almeria between Aguilas and Mojacar a lot and nearly always use the local markets and provided you buy the fruit in season then it is much cheaper than in UK and than in the supermarkets

Melon and peaches are good and cheap just now

The quality is good although normally not class 1 

Same applies with the supermarkets for seasonable fruit and veg if you want to buy there for convenience...........and of course you can always walk through an orange or lemon grove and pick up the odd one!!!.....they say that if you only pick one no one will chase you!!!!.......but do not know if this applies to the melons!!!

I was rather surprised by this as well.  The fruit and veg on the CB are truly marvellous, whether from the market or the supermarket.  I prefer the market as you can flit between stalls to check on the produce.

I find fruit and veg, though looking perfect, particularly bland in UK supermarkets.  Most of it is picked before it is ripe and then "ripened" under UV to give it the colour,  This enables it to go through the lengthy delivery and distribution process but cuts the taste, hence the blandness of tomatoes in UK compared to Spain (well, the Costa Blanca, anyway).  Even things like carrots and cauliflower have a delicious taste to them and the oranges (especially) are superb.  Potatoes can be a bit iffy (bit ironic really when you see all the lovely Majorcan potatoes in UK).  Watermelons at 73c a kilo are a particular good bargain.

Both here in Andalucia and Majorca where I also spend quite a bit of time the fruit in the supermarket is not that good quality and was speaking with my wife just a week or two ago about trying out some of the scruffy local shops - although I think I would end up paying more than the little old widows who struggle out of them with their bags full! In particular in Mercadona the tomatos are terrible and I end up in Lidl where they are better - and spend anothe 20 euros on things I was not going there to buy.

Here on the Costa Tropical we grow lots of chirimoya (and avocados) and it is difficult to justify paying the same price here for them as you can buy them in Majorca and I am sure that in each area local produce should be able to be obtained at lower prices than in the supermarkets, - if you do a bit of shopping around although if I was to do all my shopping in these small shops I am sure it would end up costing more than the supermarket where convenience rules.