Due to the bad weather in Europe and Africa, supplies of several fruits and vegetables, particularly tomatoes, to UK stores have been interrupted.
According to the British Retail Consortium (BRC), “poor weather conditions” had a negative impact on crops.
In recent days, numerous images of store shelves that are empty have been making the rounds on social media.
Industry insiders have acknowledged that there have been brief supply problems.
The lack of tomatoes seems to be especially noticeable in the photographs posted on social media.
The majority of the tomatoes we eat throughout the winter are cultivated in Southern Spain and Morocco. Both regions have lately experienced adverse weather, first from warm conditions that impacted crop yields and subsequently from a cold snap that resulted in slower growth rates.
Supplies have also been impacted by the weather-related cancellation of ferries from Morocco.
Supermarkets are “adept at handling supply chain concerns and are collaborating with farmers to ensure that customers can access a wide selection of fresh fruit,” according to Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the BRC.
Other firms, though, have also been impacted.
Tomato procurement is “extremely tough,” according to The Heritage Fine Food Company in Wiltshire, a wholesaler that serves restaurants, cafes, and schools in the south west of England.
According to the report, peppers were failing to mature, while cucumber supplies were “extremely limited.”
The fruit and vegetables that the UK buys throughout the winter are cultivated in huge greenhouses in the Netherlands.
High energy prices have undoubtedly had a negative impact on the businesses that produce them, but it is unclear whether this has affected supplies in the UK.
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