Asda and Morrisons have begun rationing fruits and vegetables after supermarkets across the UK were hit with empty shelves following supply issues.
Asda now has set a limit of three per person on tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, salad bags, broccoli, cauliflower and raspberries.
Morrisons has a maximum of two on tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, peppers.
Many shops are struggling with stock of fresh produce due to cold weather Morocco and Spain.
In the UK, farmers are said to be using heated greenhouses less due to higher energy costs. Frost damage has also written-off many fields growing vegetables.
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One Tesco store displayed a notice that said: "Cold weather in Spain has impacted the amount of crop availability and resulted in poor quality. Sorry for any inconvenience cause."
Another contributing factor is inflation, making importing fruit and veg more expensive.
One factor of inflation is high energy prices caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
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The rise in fuel costs has made it more expensive to heat greenhouses as well as transport produce.
According to Tim O'Malley, from Nationwide Produce, one of the biggest produce companies in the UK, a box of peppers has jumped from £8-£9 to about £22.
The cost of a box of tomatoes at this time of year has also dramatically risen, currently up from £7-£8 to £14.
The price of aubergines also has increased from £6-£8 per box to £18.
Other countries across the continent are not facing such a dire situation. Reports reveal that Spain continues to send produce to countries across Europe as they are happy to pay the higher prices.
One Twitter user said: "Been travelling through France and currently in Spain. No shortage of fruit and veg here - shelves filled with quality produce. Strange it hasn't affected these countries almost as if it's a supply chain issue."
Some have taken to social media to blame the situation on Brexit.
One person tweeted: "I'm in France and there is no shortage at all. Brexit is killing the UK."
Another said: "No shortage of fruit and veg in France, Germany, NL. All down to £Brexit. Nothing else."
However, while inflation is a key factor, Mr O'Malley labels "Mother Nature" as the main culprit.
He said: "The biggest issue we now have as an industry is not inflation, it's Mother Nature. She's wiping the floor with inflation."
He added: "It's the perfect storm of terrible growing weather and, of course, inflation. It started with the heat wave and drought this summer throughout Europe. Then we had a very mild autumn and then we were plunged into a deep freeze.
"Just three weeks ago Ibiza was covered in snow. Temperatures dropped to -15C in Catalonia while at the same time, the overnight low here was -8C in Oxfordshire.
"Spain is our main source of fresh produce in winter by far. They've pretty much gone straight from a red-hot summer to a freezing cold winter with no autumn in between.
"All this has led to a major reduction in yields, reduction in size, quality issues, viruses."
The group managing director added: "I can honestly say that in the 40 years I've been in this trade, I've never seen such high spot prices across such a broad range of products for such a prolonged period of time."
The vegetable section in Morrisons in Edgware Road, London, was extremely depleted with a particular lack of tomatoes and bell peppers on offer.
Photos have also been shared from the Sainsbury's in the area showing a complete absence of tomatoes.
In Hendon, London, the shelves in Sainsbury's were also bare, with stickers saying they were "temporarily out of stock".
Smaller convenience stores in Willesden, London, did have tomatoes in stock, but prices were increased this week to cater for the spike in demand.
It is understood that many other supermarkets across the UK are likely to be affected, with people taking to social media to show similar patterns in local Tesco, Sainsbury's and Lidl stores.
According to stickers in place in Morrisons, its tomato range has been "significantly impacted by adverse weather conditions across Spain and Morocco. The current shortage is likely to improve within a couple of weeks."
The British Retail Consortium say countries from the EU contribute to around 30 per cent of food we eat in the UK.
Out of these countries, Spain is the largest supplier of fruit, making up 19 per cent of imports.
In December 2022, the National Farmers Union warned that the UK was "sleepwalking" into a food supply crisis, now this may be becoming a reality.
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."
The Mirror has contacted Morrisons for comment.
