Food shortages UK 2023: Tesco introduces limits as experts warn rationing could last for weeks

Food shortages in supermarkets could ‘continue for weeks’, retail experts have warned, as the government was told the ‘clock is ticking’.

Tesco is the latest supermarket, along with Asda, Aldi and Morrison, to ration fresh produce while shelves across the country have been empty.

National Farming Union (NFU) President Minette Batters said at the NFU conference this week that tomato and cucumber production is expected to fall to “the lowest level since records began in 1985”.

She told the government the “clock is ticking” to implement the post-Brexit subsidy program and bring inflation under control so farmers can produce more reliably.

My colleague Maryam Zakhir-Hussain has more:

A mum has claimed she was “barred” from Lidl after trying to buy 100 pickles.

Lisa Fearns runs a juice shop and makes detox drinks. She has been buying this amount of cucumbers from Lidl every week for three weeks.

Upon checking out on Sunday, a manager rushed to Ms Fearns and told her she was unable to make this purchase. She then noted that it took her two hours and five different supermarkets to complete her purchase, noting that it typically took her 15 minutes.

Lisa, from Kirby, Merseyside, wrote on social media: “I’ve been going every week on a Sunday for three years. I arrive at 10am because I need the pickles fresh then I do juices during the day.

“I get funny looks when I’m in the supermarket, people look at me like, ‘What are you doing?’ “I needed 100 cucumbers. The manager came running from the back and said I buy too much fruit and veg and I can’t buy that much. They didn’t want my custom so I said I would take my custom to Aldi.

“I’m stressed out every week by what I’m going to do. I need to find a pleasant, happy fruit and veg shop that is willing to take over my business.

“There will be a fight in the stores.”

Affected products include citrus fruits such as oranges and lemons, brassicas such as broccoli and cauliflower, and salad crops such as cucumbers, lettuce and tomatoes.

These are the supermarkets affected so far:

The problem started with tomatoes but has since spread to peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, lettuce bags, broccoli, cauliflower and raspberries.

Tesco and Aldi have introduced a limit of three per customer when selling tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers.

Asda is limiting customers to three when selling lettuce, salad bags, broccoli, cauliflower and raspberry punnets, as well as tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers.

Morrisons has set a limit of two for cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce and peppers.

Difficult weather conditions in southern Europe and North Africa have disrupted the harvest of some fruit and vegetables, including tomatoes and peppers.

During the winter months, the UK imports around 95% of its tomatoes and 90% of its lettuce, most of it from Spain and North Africa.

However, growers and suppliers in Morocco have had to deal with cold temperatures, heavy rain, flooding and canceled ferries over the past three to four weeks – all of which have impacted the amount of fruit reaching the UK.

Deliveries from Britain’s other major winter source, Spain, have also been heavily impacted by the weather.

The UK also sources some produce from local growers and the Netherlands at this time of year, but growers in both countries have reported that they have scaled back their use of greenhouses due to high energy prices.

In a video shared this morning, Save British Farming leader Liz Webster said: “The reason we have food shortages in Britain and we don’t have food shortages in Spain – or anywhere else in the European Union – is because of Brexit, and also because of this disastrous conservative government that has no interest in food production, agriculture or even food supply.”

Tesco has joined other supermarkets in restricting sales of certain fruit and veg as shelves are empty due to shortages.

Britain’s largest supermarket has imposed a three-item-per-customer cap on tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers.

Aldi, Asda and Morrisons have already started restricting the total amount each customer is allowed to buy after extreme weather conditions impacted harvests abroad.

Asda has introduced a customer limit of three for tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, lettuce bags, broccoli, cauliflower and raspberries.

People living in Europe are sharing pictures of their full supermarket shelves to reveal the reality of the UK’s recent food shortages.

British supermarkets have been hit by shortages since the weekend due to bad weather, transport problems and other factors, with Morrisons acknowledging a shortage of tomatoes and shoppers reporting difficulties sourcing fresh vegetables at other supermarkets.

Asda said it would limit customers to a maximum of three items, including tomatoes, peppers, lettuce and broccoli, in response to the problem.

Tesco has followed Asda, Morrisons and Aldi in imposing purchase restrictions on customers for salad greens after supply was hit by harvest disruptions in southern Europe and North Africa.

Tesco has introduced a purchase limit of three items per customer for tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers.

Tory Cabinet Secretary Therese Coffey has been booed by farmers after she refused to accept that the UK supply chain – hit by widespread food shortages – was experiencing market failures.

The environment minister dismissed responsibility for current supermarket rationing of fruit and vegetables, saying: “We cannot control the weather in Spain.”

Ms Coffey clashed with National Farmers’ Union (NFU) President Minette Batters about the food crisis at the organization’s conference in Birmingham on Thursday.

Our political correspondent adam woods has more: