Consumers complain as price of fruit soars to a five-year high

Changing lifestyles and crop failures have resulted in sharp rise in cost of year-round items. Zhang Yangfei reports.

In recent years, Chinese consumers have used the term "cherry freedom" to describe a person's ability to purchase expensive imported cherries without a second thought. Now, though, many are expressing concerns that they may be losing their total "fruit freedom" after sharp rises in the prices of many commonplace fruits, including apples, pears and peaches.

Many users of Weibo, a Twitterlike social media platform, said they were "shocked" by this year's "skyrocketing" fruit prices, and were worried that they would no longer be able to afford the commodity. Some said the rising cost had made them reluctant to peel fruit, as they didn't want to waste even the smallest part.