FRUIT and vegetables will become the new battleground of the supermarket price war after Coles announced it will reduce the price of selected products by up to 50 per cent from today.

If Woolworths follows suit, fresh produce will become the latest product to be heavily discounted by the supermarket giants, following price cuts to milk, bread, toilet paper and washing powder by both companies in the past year.

"The peak body representing vegetable growers, AusVeg, said the announcement was ''concerning''". Credit:Paul Jones

The peak body representing vegetable growers, AusVeg, said the announcement was ''concerning'' because, while an oversupply of produce this season meant some growers would benefit in the short term, it was unclear the effect the price reduction would have on the industry over time.

The general manager for fresh produce at Coles, Greg Davis, said the company had worked closely with growers to transform their fresh fruit and vegetable prices, investing in new growing techniques, quality control, in-store displays and now lower prices for customers.