Supermarkets across the country have started introducing a ration on the number of fresh items shoppers can buy in response to the recent shortages.
It comes after shoppers on social media have been spotting a lack of fresh produce in some major retailers that includes Aldi, Morrisons, Asda and Sainsbury's.
The UK's supply of fresh produce, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, peppers and raspberries have reportedly been affected by a combination of bad weather where they are imported from and rising energy costs.
According to the British Retail Consortium (BRTC), the shortages could last a few weeks until the UK growing season begins and retailers found alternative supplies.
In response to the shortages, Morrisons and Asda announced yesterday that they had limited the amount of fresh food items that shoppers could purchase, reports The Mirror.
With the new rations put in place by the major chains, it is worth knowing what the other supermarkets are doing.
Morrisons
Starting from today, Wednesday, February 22, shoppers are limited to just two per person of the following items
- Tomatoes
- Cucumbers
- Lettuce
- Peppers
The supermarket said it was "supportive" of the British Retail Consortium's comment on the situation.
Andrew Opie, director of food & sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, said: “Difficult weather conditions in the South of Europe and Northern Africa have disrupted harvest for some fruit and vegetables including tomatoes and peppers.
"While disruption is expected to last a few weeks, 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. In the meantime, some stores are introducing temporary limits on the number of products customers can buy to ensure availability for everyone.”
Asda
Asda has now introduced a limit of three per person on the following items:
- Tomatoes
- Peppers
- Cucumbers
- Lettuce
- Salad bags
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Raspberries
An Asda spokesperson said: “Like other supermarkets, we are experiencing sourcing challenges on some products that are grown in southern Spain and north Africa.
“We have introduced a temporary limit of three of each product on a very small number of fruit and vegetable lines, so customers can pick up the products they are looking for.”
Tesco
Tesco has announced it will be imposing rations on peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes, limited to three units per customer.
Co-op
A spokesman for The Co-Op says that it has "no plans" to introduce buying limits of fruit and vegetables at this time.
Sainsbury's
Sainsbury's says that it has not put a limit on the amount of fresh items that shoppers can currently buy.
Lidl
German discounter Lidl told The Sun said it doesn't currently have plans to put limits in place.
Aldi
Aldi has placed limits on the amount of cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes to three per person when shopping instore.
M&S
M&S has said that it would not be introducing a ration on fresh produce items as it has been able to "mitigate" the impact through smaller suppliers.
A Marks and Spencer spokesperson said: "Whilst we are not immune from the challenges facing the whole industry, we have been able to mitigate the impact through alternative supply routes."
Waitrose
Waitrose says that it was monitoring the situation but it has no plans on introducing buying limits in its stores.
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