The cost of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and salads could be sent ‘sky high’ by the current wave of shortages, an expert warned today, as suppliers smacked down claims the rationing is because of
23.02.2023The cost of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and salads could be sent ‘sky high’ by the current wave of shortages, an expert warned today, as suppliers smacked down claims the rationing is because of .
Clive Black, from Shore Capital, said bad weather in and Morocco had caused a ‘perfect storm’ for British retailers who rely heavily on those countries for food in the winter months.
He said the crisis is ‘leading to sky-high prices for tomatoes and cucumbers’ and warned that rationing now imposed in four major supermarkets including will drag on for ‘weeks.’
Tim O’Malley, of major importer Nationwide Produce, said wholesale spot prices for fresh produce have soared by as much as 300 per cent in recent weeks as harvesting abroad went down by 20 per cent or more.If increases are passed on to British consumers, these items would add several pounds to a weekly shop.
Asked about the difference between shelves in the UK and Europe, where gloating expats relished sharing pictures of their supermarkets awash with fruit and vegetables using the hashtag #Vegxit, he said: ‘It’s not about Brexit’.
Empty shelves are seen in the fruit and vegetable aisles of a Tesco supermarket in Burgess Hill yesterday
Empty shelves in Tesco in Cardiff, Wales yesterday
The high price of running instalasi gas medis-heated greenhouses in the UK is also to blame, farmers say.They have not been given government support so many have either reduced production or delayed planting salad fruit and vegetables.
Former CEO of Sainsbury’s, Justin King: ‘There has been terrible weather in the key sourcing locations.
‘The largest greenhouse in Europe, Thanet Earth, used to be full of cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes.We could have chosen not to subsidise the energy in this sector’.
But he does blame Brexit, claiming the UK has ‘shot itself in the foot’.
<div class="art-ins mol-factbox floatRHS news" data-version="2" id="mol-4e9346e0-b34a-11ed-a408-59cd8ef8c22f" website fruit and veg crisis could add pounds to your weekly shop