Supermarket rationing latest news: UK stores like Asda slap limits on fruit and vegetables as shelves lay empty
Supermarket rationing: UK shops introduce food restrictions after shelves ran out
UK supermarkets have started rationing selected fruit and vegetables as supply problems leave shelves empty across the country.
A combination of bad weather and transport problems in Africa and Europe has left UK supermarket shelves empty of tomatoes, as well as dwindling stocks of some other fresh produce.
Asda has introduced a customer limit of three for tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, lettuce bags, broccoli, cauliflower and raspberries, and Morrisons said it will introduce a limit of two items per customer for tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and peppers from Wednesday.
Other supermarkets are understood to be considering similar temporary measures.
Retailers are understood to believe the problems are due to poor yields on the continent and North Africa, and that deliveries are set to improve in the coming days or weeks.
Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, which represents UK supermarkets, said: “Tough weather conditions in Southern Europe and North Africa have disrupted the harvest of some fruit and vegetables, including tomatoes and peppers.”
Marks & Spencer confirms it is “monitoring” the situation but has no plans to ration production
Marks & Spencer has confirmed it is “monitoring” the situation but has no plans to ration fresh produce.
“We are monitoring the situation but have no plans to introduce restrictions/rationing at this time,” said an M&S spokesman The Independent.
“While we are not immune to the widespread issues across the industry, we are mitigating where we can through alternative delivery routes.”
A combination of factors have been blamed for the current shortages, including supply chain issues caused by the Covid pandemic, rising energy costs fueled by Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine, and a shortage of permanent and seasonal farm workers due to Brexit.
Asda and Morrisons have both introduced restrictions on fresh produce.
Eleanor NoyceFebruary 21, 2023 5:25 p.m
Lidl, Sainsbury’s and Tesco are not currently rationing fresh produce
Approached by The Independent For comment, Lidl, Sainsbury’s and Tesco each confirmed that they are not currently rationing fresh produce.
However, despite the lack of rationing guidelines, customers complain about empty shelves.
In particular, Andrea Cowan, SNP councilor for Rutherglen Central & North, took to Twitter on Friday to note a shortage of tomatoes.
Ms Cowan imagined empty shelves and wrote: “I’m sorry @tesco that’s not good enough at your shop in Dalmarnock on a Friday afternoon. Lots more shelves of empty boxes throughout the store. Rising prices are bad enough, but shortages of basic necessities are unacceptable.”
Eleanor NoyceFebruary 21, 2023 5:01 p.m
Campaign group Best for Britain said Brexit has hit supply chains in recent years, regularly warning of empty shelves without making any effort to resolve trade tensions with the EU.
“Brexit is not responsible for the unfavorable conditions that have impacted crops this year, but it has made UK supply chains less resilient and increased costs for both importers and exporters,” said CEO Naomi Smith.
The activist added: “Like the £200 Brexit premium on Brits’ annual grocery bills, empty supermarket shelves will become more common until the government faces reality and works to improve its messy Brexit deal.”
According to a December study by the Center for Economic Performance, Brexit has increased the cost of food for Brits by just over £200 a year on average.
Thomas KingsleyFebruary 21, 2023 4:38 p.m
Why do supermarkets ration food?
Shoppers have lashed out after reports of empty shelves in supermarkets across the country over the weekend.
Morrisons has acknowledged a tomato shortage and elsewhere reports a general shortage of fresh vegetables.
Andrea Cowan, the SNP councilwoman for Rutherglen Central & North, posted a photo on Twitter showing a shortage of vegetables at a site near her.
A combination of factors have been blamed for the shortages, including supply chain issues caused by the Covid pandemic, rising energy costs fueled by Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine, and a shortage of permanent and seasonal farm workers due to of Brexit.
Lea Valley, which stretches from Hertfordshire and Essex to north London, produced around 75 per cent of Britain’s cucumbers and peppers in 2020.
In the region dubbed the ‘cucumber capital of Britain’, production could be halved this year compared to 2020 figures.
Read the full story below:
Thomas KingsleyFebruary 21, 2023 3:41 p.m
Which supermarkets are involved in rationing?
So far, Asda and Morrisons are the first supermarkets to announce they will ration food.
The shortage is expected to result in industry-wide gaps on UK shelves, with manufacturers continuing to report that rising energy prices have required them to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Morrisons will also launch a ban on more than two items tomorrow, with limited products including tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and peppers.
“Like other supermarkets, we are experiencing sourcing issues with some produce grown in southern Spain and northern Africa,” said an Asda spokesman.
“We have implemented a temporary limit of three products on a very small number of fruit and vegetable lines to allow customers to pick up the products they are looking for.”
Minette Batters, the leader of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), told Sky News: “Everybody wants to effectively avoid rationing, which is what we saw with eggs in December.”
Thomas KingsleyFebruary 21, 2023 3:38 p.m
Supermarkets are rationing fruit and vegetables and warning against buying hamsters
Supermarkets across the country have started rationing fresh food, which is expected to take “weeks”.
A poor harvest in Europe means Asda is now limiting its customers to a maximum of three items, such as peppers, lettuce and broccoli.
Morrisons will also launch a ban on more than two items tomorrow, with limited products including tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and peppers.
Shoppers across the country have taken to social media to share their frustration after being unable to find tomatoes in their local stores.
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.
Production problems in Morocco started in January with unusually cold nighttime temperatures affecting tomato ripening.
There were also weather-related cancellations of ferries, which had an impact on truck deliveries.
Read the full story below:
Thomas KingsleyFebruary 21, 2023 3:35 p.m
Welcome
Hello and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of food rationing in supermarkets hitting stores across the country after seeing empty shelves over the weekend.
Thomas KingsleyFebruary 21, 2023 3:29 p.m