Asda admitted that some varieties it sells as fresh were picked between six and 12 months ago, whilst Tesco and Sainsbury’s have been using the practice for over ten years

The Daily Mail reported that produce is often kept in storage for up to a year before being sold, meaning that half of the apples in your trolley were picked a year ago.The ‘fresh’ apples sold in your supermarket could be months old, having been transported from overseasCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd

With only a third of the apples we eat actually grown in the UK, the nation’s apple lovers are forced to rely on imported produce from as far away as New Zealand or Chile.

As they are transported to the UK by sea, these apples have to be specially chilled to maintain their crunch and nutrients over the long journey, or they’d ripen too far whilst they are in transit.

Importers rely on a chilled warehouse system called SmartFresh to stop the ripening process, making use of a modified atmosphere in the container to keep the produce nutritious and crunchy.

And Asda admitted that some varieties it sells as fresh were picked between six and 12 months ago and stored using this system, whilst Tesco and Sainsbury’s have been using the practice for over ten years.

This isn’t just limited to apples, with pears, plums, apricots, kiwi fruits and tomatoes often being stored for months using this practice.

Where fruit normally loses half of its vitamin C within two months, this system can help produce to retain 15-20 per cent more of its vitamin content.

3Supermarkets rely on the storage system to keep produce fresh as it’s transported from the other side of the globeCredit: PA:Press Association

Homegrown apples, such as Bramleys, can last ten months using this system, which prevents the fruit from losing its nutritional content by halting the release of ethylene – a chemical produced by fruit and vegetables when they ripen.

The method, approved by the EU in 2005, locks in most goodness but can’t prevent the loss of some nutritional value as fruit is stored and transported.

And the Food Research Program of Canada found that levels of antioxidants and vitamin C in apples can take a hit in transit – even when it is stored in a SmartFresh container.

3The containers have led to supermarkets such as Asda passing the products off as fresh, when the apples in question are really a year oldCredit: Getty Images

This means that you could be missing out on nutrients when you buy this supposedly-fresh produce which is really a year old.

But Adrian Barlow, of English Apples and Pears, claims this technology lets us enjoy our favourite foods all year round.

He said: “There is always debate about the extent to which stored apples lose nutrients.

“The results are inconclusive and the level of antioxidants in apples can vary greatly anyway, so it is not something consumers should worry about.”