Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability for the British Retail Consortium (BRC), which represents major supermarkets, said difficult weather conditions in southern Europe and north Africa impacted several crops, including tomatoes and Peppers.
“Although the disruption is expected to last a few weeks, supermarkets are experts in managing supply chain issues and are working with farmers to ensure customers can access a wide range of fresh produce,” he added.
Social networks have been flooded with images of empty fruit and vegetable shelves, with a particular shortage of tomatoes.
Although self-sufficient in the summer, the UK typically imports 95% of its tomatoes and 90% of its lettuce from December to March, according to BRC data.
Spanish producers also expressed their concern and the Association of Organizations of Fruit and Vegetable Producers of Almería, Coexphal, said in a statement that some companies are starting to have problems meeting their clients’ schedules.
James Bailey, chief executive of luxury supermarket Waitrose, said supplies had been hit by extreme weather in Spain and across North Africa.
“It has snowed and hailed in Spain, and last week it hailed in North Africa, which is wiping out a lot of the crops,” he told LBC radio, adding that availability should slowly improve. “In about a fortnight, the growing seasons in other parts of the world will have caught up and we will be able to recover supplies.”
