Many supermarket chains have indicated they have no plans to introduce restrictions on the sale of many salad items due to shortages across the UK.
market leader Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Aldi Items such as tomatoes, peppers, leafy greens and cucumbers are among the major names confirmed this week that restrictions will be put in place.
The government acknowledged on Thursday that the disruption could continue until the end of March and had scheduled meetings with major retailers later in the day.
Supply across Europe has been hit by poor harvests abroad, particularly in Spain and North Africa, but the UK is particularly vulnerable to shortages due to supermarket contracts and high energy costs facing domestic suppliers. are exposed.
Growers in the UK and other Nordic countries need heated greenhouses to sustain their crops during the winter.
For this country, the costs were exorbitant due to post-war record prices in Ukraine.
Growers’ main complaint is the government’s exclusion of horticulture from energy and trade-intensive industry plans to help with energy costs.
M&S has yet to comment on its sales policy.
But Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Lidl and Co-op were four other supermarket chains that told Sky News on Thursday they were open without restrictions.
But that doesn’t mean their shelves are filled with prizes.
What causes the shortage of tomatoes?
Scarcity inevitably leads shoppers to look for supplies where they are.
However, salad items are rarely a must-have, so you’re unlikely to buy them in a rush (remember the toilet paper flood at the start of the 2020 pandemic?).
Read more about business:
Cost of living crisis sparking wave of workplace crime
Heathrow’s annual loss halves as pandemic recovery accelerates
Restrictions on things like tomatoes, if present, also help preserve sufficient quantities to remain in circulation.
As a precaution, Tesco and Aldi are limiting customers to just three: tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers.
Customers are also limited to lettuce, salad bags, broccoli, cauliflower and raspberries.
Morrisons has set a limit of two items per customer, covering tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, and peppers.
Sky News said Wednesday that APS Produce, the UK’s largest domestic producer, said British tomatoes There is a high possibility that the shortage will continue until the end of April.
Tomato shortage ‘could last for another two months’
He attributed it to rising energy and fertilizer prices.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary Therese Coffey told lawmakers the chaos was expected to continue for another two to four weeks.
“The UK has a very resilient food supply chain, as demonstrated through its response to COVID-19, and is well equipped to deal with potentially disruptive situations. I will,” she said.
Coffey added that he hopes the industry will be able to alleviate supply problems by using alternative markets.
The British Tomato Growers Association said of the shortage: and until April 2023. ”
Justin King, who served as CEO of Sainsbury’s for 10 years until 2014 and is now a non-executive director of Marks & Spencer, told the BBC: “There is a genuine shortage, but we have rather self-imposed the problem.
“We could have chosen to subsidize energy this winter, as we have done for other industries.”
He said most UK supermarkets still had a supply of “very good” salad greens, but there were shortages across the country.