Three of the UK’s largest supermarket chains have introduced limits for shoppers on several fresh produce lines, including tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers, as they try to prevent gaps appearing on shelves.
So what is going on and are the shortages going to spread to other retailers and foodstuffs?
How big is the problem?
Morrisons has announced limits of two an item on packs of tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and peppers, while Asda is restricting shoppers to three items each on eight fresh produce lines – including broccoli, cauliflower, raspberries and lettuces.
On Wednesday, Tesco and Aldi joined them, each limiting purchases of peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes to three packs a person.
Other supermarkets are yet to introduce rationing, but grocery retailers have said shortages could last for some weeks.
What is behind the shortages?
Certain fresh vegetables and fruits are hard to come by in the UK as a result of an unfortunate combination of poor weather reducing the harvest in Europe and north Africa, as well lower supplies from UK and Dutch producers hit by the jump in energy bills to heat glasshouses.
At this time of year, Britain relies on Spain, Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt for the bulk of salad imports. However, these crops have been affected by unusually cold weather last month, including intense night frosts, while tomato plants have also been damaged or killed by disease – in particular the tomato brown rugose virus.
Meanwhile, Britain and other northern European countries – particularly the Netherlands which is a big vegetable producer – have reduced how many crops they have planted over the winter, after the Ukraine war sent bills soaring for the energy required to light and heat greenhouses and the cost of the fertiliser used on plants.
Faced with higher costs for glasshouse crops, some retailers chose to rely more heavily this year on sourcing from Spain and north Africa, leaving them more vulnerable to the weather-triggered shortages.
Are things worse in the UK than the rest of Europe?
It seems so. There are no reports of shortages in France and Germany and European shoppers have shared photos on social media of full supermarket shelves, in stark contrast to British supermarkets.
One issue is reduced output from British farms. The president of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), Minette Batters, told the union’s annual conference on Tuesday that “domestic production of salad, including cucumbers and tomatoes, has fallen to its lowest level since records began in 1985”.
In the UK, a cold snap and frost before Christmas also damaged field crops including cauliflower, cabbage and carrots.
Batters has warned there might be further rationing of salad items to come, especially if growers’ energy bills remain high.
With many British tomato and salad growers having chosen to delaying planting in recent months because of economic uncertainty, UK production will not be able to pick up the slack for several weeks, and will probably begin later than in a normal year.
As a result, demand for Spanish and Moroccan produce to fill the gap has outstripped supply, and retailers cannot access as much food as they need, or face paying significantly higher prices for what is available.
So is Brexit to blame?
Most farmers and suppliers have said they do not believe the UK’s exit from the EU is the main reason for the UK’s empty supermarket shelves. However, many acknowledge that Brexit – as well as the pandemic – have increased costs for growers, mostly as a result of having to pay higher wages to workers amid labour shortages.
Some importers argue the additional costs and bureaucracy created by Brexit have put the UK at the back of queue for supplies from European producers when crops are in short supply across the continent. It has also led to higher costs and paperwork, which can cause delays at the border – a particular issue with perishable produce.
What other food stuffs might run short?
Salad crops including cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce are now most affected. Supplies of aubergines and lemons have also been hit, as have field crops in Spain including broccoli and lettuce. In the UK, frost has damaged production of brassicas, especially cabbage and cauliflower.
However, eggs are also undergoing shortages, after producers were hit by rising costs and the UK’s worst-ever outbreak of avian influenza. This requires all birds in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, but not in Scotland, to be kept indoors, pushing up already soaring heating and lighting costs for egg producers.
The NFU calculates that UK egg production has fallen to its lowest level in nine years, while UK egg packers packed almost 1bn fewer eggs in 2022 than they did in 2019.
Sainsbury’s has been importing eggs from Italy since late last year as a result of shortages in British supply.
What could be done to help the situation?
The NFU is calling for more support to energy-reliant British farmers. At its annual conference, Batters criticised government policy, pointing out that botanical gardens with large glasshouses have received support with their energy bills through the energy relief scheme, while food producers with greenhouses have not.
The farming minister, Mark Spencer, told the conference that the Treasury and the government’s business department were examining these schemes.
Yet, even as wholesale prices for salad crops surge, growers will not necessarily be able to earn more for their produce, as they are often tied into contracts with retailers and suppliers.
Some UK growers have criticised British retailers for wanting to sell food at too low a price, often below the cost of production. However, supermarkets are reluctant to raise prices as they do not want to lose customers to their rivals during the cost of living crisis.
