UK Grapples With Shortages Of Tomatoes, Fruits And Vegetables

Sales of some fruit and vegetables have been limited by most of the country's largest supermarkets, Tesco, Asda, Aldi and Morrisons, due to their short supply, which the UK government blamed to bad weather in Europe and Africa, Beth Timmins reported for BBC News.

Photo Insert: A tomato farm in the UK

There is also the impact high electricity prices are having on produce grown in greenhouses in the UK and the Netherlands, she added. UK's largest supermarket, Tesco, and discounter Aldi have said they are putting limits of three per customer on sales of tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers.

Industry sources suggested the UK may be suffering because of lower domestic production and more complex supply chains, as well as a price-sensitive market.

Asda has capped sales of lettuce, salad bags, broccoli, cauliflower, and raspberry punnets to three per customer, along with tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers while Morrisons has set limits of two on cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, and peppers.

Tomatoes and peppers seem to be the worst affected at both retailers but its unclear whether this is because they are popular. Other UK supermarkets have also been hit by the shortages but have not yet introduced limits for customers.

In the winter months, the UK imports around 95% of its tomatoes and 90% of its lettuces, most of it from Spain and north Africa, according to trade group the British Retail Consortium (BRC).

But Southern Spain has been suffering unusually cold weather and in Morocco crop yields have been affected by floods, while storms have led to ferries being delayed or cancelled. It led to Morocco barring exports of tomatoes, onions, and potatoes to West African countries earlier this month as it tried to protect exports to Europe.

The UK also gets some produce at this time of year from domestic growers and the Netherlands. But farmers in both countries have cut back on their use of greenhouses to grow winter crops due to higher electricity prices.

WEEKLY FEATURE : MVP Group Keeps Lights On During Pandemic