Strawberries are reportedly of the best quality they have been in around two decades, with higher sugar levels making them sweeter and juicier than normal.

Vernon Emery, an English strawberry farmer, said: "The extra warmth has helped boost sugar levels but equally important have been good levels of light which have helped the fruit set and encouraged bees to pollinate the plants."

This could be very good news for fans of the red fruit, who tend to choose them from the office fruit delivery.

Earlier this month, the Met Office confirmed that April 2011 was the warmest on record in the UK, with temperatures around three to five degrees C hotter than usual.

The month was also the 11th driest on record, with rainfall of 52 per cent of the long-term average over the month – a total of just 36.7 mm.

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A new study of around 35,378 orchards, home to apples, pears and cherries, among other fruits, are at risk of going to seed, according to the People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES).

Only nine per cent of orchards are in pristine condition and 45 per cent were found to be poorly maintained.

Fortunately, around 46 per cent were said to be in a fairly good state.

The trust has started a five-year project to give a kick-start to the orchards at greatest risk of decline.

"We … face losing rare English fruit varieties, traditions, customs and knowledge, in addition to the genetic diversity represented by the hundreds of species that are associated with traditional orchards," warned Anita Burrough, orchard officer at the trust.

The PTES was founded in 1977 and since then, it has worked to protect endangered wildlife throughout the country and the world.

The Office Fruit

Japanese artist Keisuke Yamada has sculpted the faces of Elvis, Davey Jones from Pirates of the Caribbean and various ghosts and ghouls into the yellow fruit.

He creates the fruity works of art using a toothpick and spoon and has to work at record speed before his creations go off.

Speaking to the Daily Mail Keisuke said: "I started making them about two weeks ago and since posting pictures of them online they have really taken off."

He added that he plans to make more in the future.

And the artist's creations are also helping him stay healthy, as he eats the bananas after he has photographed them.

Bananas are a great source of potassium and also release energy-boosting natural sugars, meaning Keisuke will be ready to get creative after his snack.
 

The Office Fruit

There are plenty of tasty treats in the office fruit delivery, with everything from plums to figs on offer.

It's important to ensure you get your five-a-day because, according to the NHS, fruit and veg can lower people's risk of heart disease and some cancers and they contribute to a healthy and balanced diet.

With new research from Mintel showing under-25s are veering away from buying fruit and veg because of rising costs, there has never been a better time to make the most of the office fruit box.

Figures from the market research company revealed that a quarter of under-25s have cut back on buying fresh produce.

If you eat fruit at work, you'll still manage to get your five-a-day by snacking in your workplace.

Recent research from the University of Western Ontario, Canada, found that tangerines, which are found in the office fruit delivery, can lower people's risk of heart attacks, diabetes and strokes.

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Researchers from the University of Newcastle found that fruit and vegetables could be stopped from rotting if they were exposed to ozone, rather than chemical residues.

Giving fruit exposure to the toxic form of oxygen for around eight days prevented a whopping 95 per cent of fungal infections, the researchers found.

Dr Ian Singleton, study leader, said there are numerous concerns about using pesticides to prevent fruit and veg from spoiling.

"Ozone is a viable alternative to pesticides as it is safe to use and effective against a wide spectrum of micro-organisms," he explained.

Recently, scientists from the Sao Paolo Research Foundation, Brazil, revealed that they believe they have found a way of using banana peel to purify water.

Minced banana peels could remove metal contamination from water, they found.

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Researchers from the South American country have managed to develop an effective way of using the fibre from these fruits to create a new generation of plastics for use in automotives.

The plastics are stronger, lighter and more environmentally friendly than others in use at the moment and they could well be utilised to develop cars in the future.

Study leader Dr Alcides Leao, talking at the National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society, said that while the fibres originate from delicate fruits, such as bananas, they are super strong when turned into plastics.

"We believe that a lot of car parts, including dashboards, bumpers [and] side panels, will be made of nano-sized fruit fibres in the future," he added.

Recently, another set of scientists in Brazil, from the Sao Paolo Research Foundation, said minced banana peels could remove metal contamination from water, meaning the yellow fruit could help out with purification.

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But fear not, because one news provider in Australia has a guide to creating a trap for the little pests.

Jacky Cronin, who lives in Lavington, Queensland, told ABC she studied and researched ways to organically catch fruit flies and she uses traps and inclusion netting to do so.

"The traps let you know when the males arrive… The males tend to arrive first, so that lets you know, 'Right if I've got something that needs to be protected, I need to do it now!'," she said, in what presumably is an April Fools' Day joke.

Jacky said it is important to remember the traps only help catch male fruit flies – you have to use other methods, such as inclusion netting to catch female flies.

While the story might not be an April 1st hoax, it seems to be so, since she'll be offering demonstrations on how to prevent fruit flies, clean seeds and grow no-dig flower beds this weekend.

Arguably the most impressive April Fool ever to be created was by the BBC in 1957, when Swiss peasants were shown on Panorama harvesting spaghetti from trees!

The Office Fruit

Office fruit bananas are rich in natural sugars which help you out if you're feeling a bit of a slump in your energy levels at work.

You should always ensure you manage to take a break at work, even if it's just to get some fresh air, as new research has shown it impacts greatly on your productivity levels.

More than a third (34 per cent) of employees fail to take a lunch hour because they feel their workload is too big to take time out, the research from Bupa revealed.

However, because they don't take a break, 48 per cent of workers feel their productivity levels drop dramatically at 3pm, losing them 40 minutes a day.

Recent research by the Atkins Diet team revealed the time between 3 and 3.30pm is when most people are likely to need a snack at work and office fruit could be the best thing to eat.

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However, rather than opting for a biscuit or packet of crisps, workers are advised to opt for a tasty treat from the office fruit basket, which can help them last until dinnertime without being unhealthy.

Recent research conducted by the Atkins Diet team highlighted that between 3 and 3.30pm is when most people forget their healthy eating intentions and give into the temptation of an afternoon snack.

"This is the time when most dieters are susceptible to failure because of a number of different factors, namely a dip in energy mid-afternoon and the use of food as an emotional crutch," nutritionist Linda O'Byrne said.

"This could be down to either stress, boredom or the many other ranges of emotion that we go through on any given day."

Rather than snacking on something unhealthy, workers are advised to try something from the office fruit delivery.

A banana is not only tasty but is also full of energy-boosting natural sugars, which will help people make it until home time, while apples are full of vitamin A which helps with vision.

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Coleen Nolan, writing for the Daily Mirror, said: "Everybody can find 20 minutes in their day to do some exercise. Go for a walk at lunch or do a quick exercise DVD."

When it comes to eating healthily, Coleen said it's all about good planning.

She said you need to make sure you stock up on plenty of healthy snacks. One way of getting your five-a-day could be through munching on office fruit box treats throughout the day.

"When you start eating more healthy foods, you'll find that you crave sugar less," the Loose Women presenter said.

Carole Spiers, chief executive of the Carole Spiers Group, said recently that employers need to educate their workers about healthy eating.

She said doing this will allow employees to look out for the right foods to eat and help them develop their healthy eating habits.

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