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Fruit growers are calling for a supermarket watchdog to ensure they get a fair return on produce.
The retail price of fruit and vegetables jumped an average 8.7 per cent in the past year, with some items selling for a whopping $6 a kg in supermarkets.
Growers say supermarket mark-ups - sometimes more than 100 per cent - are unfair, and there is not enough transparency.
In Britain, the Competition Commission is calling for an ombudsman after a two-year investigation into the grocery market dominated by four chains.
New Zealand apple grower Leon Stallard said he would welcome a similar move here "with open arms".
"Supermarkets have incredible buying power and we don't have any other choice because there's no watchdog and no alternative," he said.
"Their margins are far too great and the return to us is far too low, considering the risks we take selling to them."
The British study showed eight out of 10 shoppers believe the way supermarkets treat suppliers is "unacceptable" and want an ombudsman to monitor fair trading.
A Hawke's Bay fruit grower, who wished to remain anonymous, said an ombudsman would be a good way forward for New Zealand.
"Supermarkets could well be making a wide margin that is not fully justified, and, if so, something should be done to balance the problem."
The Commerce Commission said there was nothing in the Fair Trade Act to prevent 'price gouging', and it was not something it would look into at this stage.
