One fruit and veg supplier has explained exactly why supermarkets are low in stock on tomatoes but smaller independent retailers have them in abundance.
Simon Conley, who runs the Manchester arm of a Spanish import company, Fountain Fresh at New Smithfield Market, told the Manchester Evening News there was a shortage of tomatoes but it wasn't solely because of "bad weather".
He said it was actually due to an issue which had been "building for years".
For decades, major UK supermarkets have been "hammering down" prices paid to suppliers so when prices rose due to a poor harvest, supermarket chains were unwilling to pay the higher prices.
Simon claims that this is the reason why fruit and vegetable shelves are bare across a majority of supermarkets across the country.
He told the MEN that supermarkets can get tomatoes, but how much they’re willing to pay for them, and how much they think consumers will be willing to pay "is another matter".
Simon said: "The problem is that your supermarkets have contracts, so if you’re a supplier, and you’re going to get more money from somewhere else, where are you going to send them?”
“Tomatoes at the minute are making £15 for five kilos. There is a shortage, don’t get me wrong, and [exporters] are now just sending more into Europe since Brexit.
"But supermarkets just don’t want to pay [higher prices]. So the local shops, they’re loving it. They’re saying it’s like lockdown all over again.”
The current shortage of fruit and vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers is not "the worst" Simon has ever seen, citing the "worst case of shortages" happening during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Simon, alongside other suppliers, believes that supermarkets have been selling food "too cheaply for too long" in a battle to undercut each other and seize an increased market share.
What the UK is seeing now however is the "perfect storm" caused by several factors.
These include poor harvests caused by climate change, increased haulage costs caused by Brexit, inflated energy costs for growers caused by the war in Ukraine, and a lack of foreign workers to pick vegetables in the UK, again caused by Brexit visa issues.
Going forward, it is likely that these issues may not ease up and shortages may be a common occurrence in the UK.
Although it does not help the situation, it does explain why your local greengrocer has crates of tomatoes while your major supermarket chain is struggling to fill its shelves and have introduced buying limits.
