Shoppers in the UK have struggled to buy a number of fresh food items over the last few weeks.
Retailers have warned supermarket shelves could remain bare for a number of weeks to come after bad weather in Europe and Africa disrupted supplies. Suppliers in Morocco and Spain have had to contend with cold temperatures, heavy rain, and flooding over the past three to four weeks.
The severe weather conditions have then had a knock-on effect on the ferries which transport the food as these were also cancelled due to bad weather. As a result supermarkets including Asda and Morrisons have been forced to ration certain fruits and vegetables, reported The Mirror.
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Here is everything you need to know, including a full list of the foods affected.
Full list of fruits and vegetables being rationed
Morrisons has introduced a limit of two items per customer across these foods:
- Tomatoes
- Cucumbers
- Lettuce
- Peppers
Asda has started rationing customers to just three of these products:
- Tomatoes
- Peppers
- Cucumbers
- Lettuce
- Salad (bagged)
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Raspberries
It isn't clear how long these limits will remain in place for. In terms of other supermarkets, one Tesco store has displayed a sign which acknowledged the industry-wide supply shortage.
It said: "Cold weather in Spain has impacted the amount of crop availability and resulted in poor quality. Sorry for any inconvenience caused."
Minette Batters, the head of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), told Sky News today: “Everybody wants to avoid rationing, effectively, which is what we saw with eggs in December.” She explained how UK supermarkets would however continue to face challenges in getting some food items. She added that the “last thing anybody wants to do is to create a level of panic buying”.
Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, with represents UK supermarkets, said: "Difficult weather conditions in the south of Europe and northern Africa have disrupted harvest for some fruit and vegetables including tomatoes. However, 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."
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