Shortages of fruit and vegetables in supermarkets are blamed on ‘just in time’ supply chains, leaving stores with limited stocks of most foods
Shortages of fruit and vegetables on the shelves are partly attributed to ‘just in time’ supply chains at supermarkets.
Stores have limited stocks of most foods, particularly fresh produce, to keep costs down and reduce waste.
Now, with floods, snow and cold weather in Morocco and Spain hitting supplies to Britain, there is no slack in the chain.
A major supermarket manager said: ‘Supply chains are run as ‘just in time’. To prevent it from spoiling, we get products just in time to hit the shelves and be sold. Every hitch and shelves look empty.”
Asda, Morrisons, Tesco and Aldi rationed salads this week.
Supermarkets such as Morrisons and Aldi had to ration salads this week
Cold weather and even snow in Southern Europe and North Africa have affected crops of tomatoes, lettuce, peppers and cucumbers. A quarter of all tomatoes in Britain come from Morocco.
British farmers would normally grow tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and lettuce in heated greenhouses at this time of year.
But National Farmers Union president Minette Batters said energy is too expensive for many to do that right now.
She said UK growers don’t get the same help as other companies, so greenhouses are unprofitable and have the lowest production levels since registration began.
Extra paperwork and cuts in subsidies after the UK left the EU also play a role.
Turnips sold out in stores this week after Environment Minister Therese Coffey suggested families eat them instead of tomatoes.
But supermarkets said they stock very little turnips, compared to more “fashionable foods,” so if there’s a run on them, they’ll be gone quickly.