Britons too busy to peel oranges

By Avril Ormsby

LONDON (Reuters) - Britons are too busy to eat oranges in their lunch breaks nowadays and are opting instead for "easy to peel" fruit like satsumas, according to a survey.

For the third year in a row, orange consumption has fallen. It was down 2 percent at some 600 million compared with the previous year, market researchers TNS said.

Although still popular with the health-conscious over-45s seeking their 5-a-day fruit and veg intake, oranges are being replaced by the smaller and more manageable satsumas and tangerines among young adults.

Both are easier to carry in lunch boxes, quicker to peel and less messy to eat.

Consumption of satsumas rose 35 percent over the past year to about 460 million and the number of tangerines jumped 60 percent to about 62 million.

"Satsumas are the key growth area," a TNS spokeswoman said. "Seven in every 10 times oranges are consumed for health reasons," she added.

But while adults cannot find the time for oranges, they do encourage children to have them. Consumption among children is about 15 percent up.

(Editing by Steve Addison)