Why Is There A Shortage Of Tomatoes And Other Fruit And Vegetables In The UK?

Sales of some fruit and vegetables have been limited by most of the country's largest supermarkets, Tesco, Asda, Aldi and Morrisons.

The UK government has said it's largely down to bad weather in Europe and Africa.

There is also the impact high electricity prices are having on produce grown in greenhouses in the UK and the Netherlands.

The 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.

Asda has capped sales of lettuce, salad bags, broccoli, cauliflowers and raspberry punnets to three per customer, along with tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers.

And Morrisons has set limits of two on cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce and peppers.

Tomatoes and peppers seem to be the worst affected but its unclear whether this is because they are popular.

Other major UK supermarkets have also been hit by the shortages but have not yet introduced limits for customers.

Sainsbury's former chief executive Justin King told the BBC that limits were being put in place because "even High Street greengrocers, when they can't get their stock from wholesalers, will start buying off the [supermarket] shelves. So that's why these policies have been introduced".

In the winter months the UK imports around 95% of its tomatoes and 90% of its lettuces, most of them 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.

The shortages are only expected to last "a few weeks" until the UK growing season begins and supermarkets find alternative sources of supply, according to the BRC.

It added that supermarkets were "adept" at managing supply chain issues and were working with farmers to ensure there was enough fresh produce for customers.

Anecdotal evidence suggests the UK has been bearing the brunt of the shortages, but problems have also been reported in Ireland. Other European countries appear less affected.

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.

But they said Brexit was unlikely to be a factor.

According to Copa-Cogeca, the European farmers' organisation, when supply is limited produce is more likely to stay in the single market, simply because it is more practical.

Policy adviser Ksenja Simovic said: "It doesn't help that the UK is out of the EU and single market, but I don't think this is the primary reason the UK is having shortages."

The main impact of new border procedures for fruit and vegetable imports will not be felt until January 2024 - while imports from Morocco, which is outside the EU, are already subject to border checks.

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