London
The Sunday Review
—
Major UK supermarkets You have already started rationing Some staple fruits are being sold and salad vegetablesPoor weather has slowed production in Spain, which is being blamed and nord Africa
Tesco
(TSCDF)The UK’s biggest supermarket, confirmed to The Sunday Review Wednesday that it had temporarily capped the number of packs of tomatoes, peppers and Maximum three cucumbers per customer
Asda The Sunday Review reported that this was temporary limiting purchases you can order up to three boxes of certain items per customer. They include cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers and lettuce.
“Like other supermarkets, we are experiencing sourcing challenges on some products that are grown in southern Spain and north Africa,” An Asda Spokesperson
Morrisons informed The Sunday Review it has imposed a limit of 2 packs per customer for tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers and lettuce. AldiGerman discount grocery store – – announced Wednesday that they would limit the number of packs of peppers and cucumbers per customer. and It is a great place to find tomatoes UK stores.
AsdaMorrisons and Aldi are Britain’s third-, fourth- and Based on Kantar’s market share data, fifth-largest supermarket chains are listed.
Sainsbury’s
(JSAIY), the United Kingdom’s second-largest food retailer, told The Sunday Review it had no plans to ration the sale of fruit and vegetables.
It rationing Another problem for British shoppers who are already struggling with record-breaking grocery prices price risesThey have been a source of inflamation for the worst cost-of-living crisis in decades.
Kantar reported that the food price inflation rose to 16.7% between January 22 and February 22. That’s its highest level since the data company started tracking the indicator in 2008.
“The more we face shortages, the more it will drive food inflation,” Minette Batters, president of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), which represents more than 46,000 farming and Growing businesses told the BBC Wednesday.
For the spokesperson UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), stated in a statement “We understand public concerns around the supply of fresh vegetables. However, the UK has a highly resilient food supply chain and is well-equipped to deal with disruption.”
What explains all the shelves that are empty?
Asda and Morrisons pointed out that the major cause of shortages was poor weather in key areas.
Andrew Woods is a Sub-Editor at Mintec. A commodities data company that provides commodity data, The Sunday Review reported that hotter-than-average weather Spain and Morocco had reached production last autumn due to the cold snap of the previous two weeks.
According to him, the southern Spain tomato crop is now 20% less than it was a year ago.
The less fortunate harvests are For UK As dependent as retailers are are On imports This is the best time to replenish their stocks.
The British Retail Consortium, a trade organization, has published these figures. UK supermarkets Import 95% of the tomatoes and In December, 90% of the lettuce was gone. and March is a typical month for importation of the exact same amount.
LBC Radio’s James Bailey told LBC that Waitrose executive director said Monday that there was snow and There was hail in Spain as well as in some parts of North Africa. “wip[ed] out a large proportion” These are the key crops.
The Sunday Review was informed by a high-end supermarket chain that they were “monitoring the situation” However, they did not plan to bring it about. rationing.
“Give it about [two weeks] and the other growing seasons in other parts of the world will have caught up and we should be able to get that supply back in,” Bailey also said.
BRC says that the disruption will last for a couple of weeks, before the home-grown produce can fill in the gaps. UK Stock shelves
“Supermarkets are adept at managing supply chain issues and are working with farmers to ensure that customers are able to access a wide range of fresh produce,” Andrew Opie, the BRC’s director of food and The Sunday Review has an article on sustainability.
Very high input costs However, they have also contributed to the shortage of fruit and vegetablesThe NFU also stated that the NFU believes in reducing production throughout the agricultural sector.
“Labor shortages and soaring energy prices are hitting the poultry industry, already reeling from avian influenza, as well as horticultural businesses and pig farms,” Batters spoke Tuesday.
The price of natural gas — a key input for nitrogen-based fertilizers — shot up following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year. Although gas prices are down in recent weeks they still remain high. are Their historical average is still more than triple, fertilizer costs are Batters reported an increase of 169%.
)
According to NFU, tomato production is prohibited and Due to crippling input cost, cucumber prices are expected to drop to their lowest level since 1985 when the union began keeping records.
Woods at Mintec described processing and Stocking vegetablesThe tomato, like tomatoes, is an example of a tomato. “energy intensive.”
Europe too has wrestled Many of these are available at same problems Recent months.
“Across Europe, supplies [of tomatoes] are reportedly tight, and growers continue to grapple with higher fertilizer, energy and labor costs,” Mintec stated this in a note.
However, at the moment, are few indications — in media reports or on social media — that retailers in other countries are rationing sales.
However, Defra declared Wednesday in a statement: “similar disruption is also being seen in other countries,” and That it was helpful UK To help fill the labor shortages, growers can expand a visa program for seasonal workers.
UK supermarkets They haven’t cited Brexit for the reason of the supply shortage. The NFU however and Some campaign groups Some argue it has led to an increase in labor shortages.
Justin King, the former chief executive of Sainsbury’s, told BBC Radio 4 The shortage was triggered by weather in the exporting areas. UK’s supply problems “go further back.”
“This is a sector that’s been significantly disrupted by Brexit,” He said.
King It was noted that in the past, Britain grew. “vast quantities” Tomatoes and Cucumbers can be grown year round in huge greenhouses located in Kent in the southern England county of South England.
However, the government didn’t He added that growers were provided with enough assistance to be able to pay their winter energy bills.
“We’re uniquely exposed to imports this time of year,” King spoke.
Payments of direct subsidy UK Farmers from the European Union are Also Batters of NFU stated in her speech that farmers are now at greater risk because the subsidy system is being eliminated. By 2024, the United Kingdom will have its subsidy program fully implemented.
— Julia Horowitz contributed reporting.
