Peppers rationed in supermarkets as cold weather in Europe takes toll on crops

A cold snap in Europe has sparked a shortage of peppers leading some supermarkets to ration their produce.

Unseasonably cold weather in Spain means peppers are growing at a slower rate, forcing stores like Morrisons to limit purchases to two packs per customer.

Waitrose has also been hit, with some branches completely running out.

British supermarkets exclusively rely on peppers from Spain during the winter months.

There were similar issues earlier this year as supermarkets were forced to ration other fruit and vegetables.

Some shoppers in Asda stores were told in February they could buy up to three packs each of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, salad bags, broccoli, cauliflower and raspberries as supplies ran low.

The crisis was sparked by soaring energy costs, bad harvests and red tape from Brexit.

Last year, farmers warned that pepper and cucumber shortages might happen in the spring because supermarkets were not paying enough to grow them.

The Lea Valley Growers Association’s secretary Lee Stiles previously told The Times he predicted shortages of British produce in 2023 ‘across the board’, as 40 of the group’s 80 members opted not to plant vegetables in 2022 because of anticipated financial losses.

He added: “Backing British growers by paying fair prices doesn’t seem to be a priority for supermarkets. The amount of British fresh produce on the shelves from our growers has reduced by at least half this year already but consumers haven’t noticed it, or don’t care.”

Cold weather and even snow in southern Europe and north Africa hit harvests of tomatoes, lettuce, peppers and cucumbers earlier this year. A quarter of all tomatoes in Britain come from Morocco.