✕CloseSupermarket rationing: UK stores launch limits on food after shelves lay empty
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UK supermarkets have started rationing selected fruit and vegetables as supply issues leave shelves empty across the country.
A combination of bad weather and transport problems in Africa and Europe has seen UK supermarket shelves left bare of tomatoes, as well as dwindling stocks of some other fresh produce.
And while former Sainsbury’s CEO Justin King acknowledged supply has been affected by poor weather abroad, he also said the sector had been “hurt horribly by Brexit”.
“North Kent, in Thanet, [had] the largest greenhouses in Europe, which used to be full of peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes,” he went on.
“But those greenhouses have suffered, really, from two big things. I hate to say it, but it’s a sector that’s been hurt horribly by Brexit.”
Asda has introduced a per-customer limit of three on tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, salad bags, broccoli, cauliflower and raspberries, and Morrisons said it would be introducing limits of two items per customer across tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and peppers from today.
Other supermarkets are understood to be considering similar temporary measures.
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Basic groceries up by 30% as supermarket trust plummets
The price of basic groceries such as butter, milk and cheese went up 30% year-on-year at some supermarkets in December, figures show.
While overall food and drink inflation reached 15% in December across the eight major supermarkets, butters and spreads rose by an “astonishing” 29.4%, according to tracking by consumer group Which?
Milk was 26.3% more expensive than a year before, while cheese (22.3%), bakery items (19.5%), water (18.6%) and savoury pies, pastries and quiches (18.5%) also saw higher-than-average price increases.
More here:
Basic groceries up by 30% as supermarket trust plummets – Which?
Butters and spreads rose by an ‘astonishing’ 29.4% year-on-year in December, according to tracking by consumer group Which?
Emily Atkinson22 February 2023 10:021677057931
Supply ‘hurt horribly by Brexit,’ says former Sainsbury’s CEO
Former Sainsbury’s CEO Justin King acknowledged supply has been affected by poor weather abroad, but has also been “hurt horribly by Brexit”.
Mr King told LBC that UK greenhouses, previously known to grow tomatoes, have suffered in recent years.
“These are products that we do produce, or in the past have produced year round in the UK,” Mr King said.
He continued: “North Kent, in Thanet, [had] the largest greenhouses in Europe, which used to be full of peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes.
“But those greenhouses have suffered, really, from two big things. I hate to say it, but it’s a sector that’s been hurt horribly by Brexit.”
Mr King also asserted that the supermarket industry had suffered from the government’s decision to exclude it from its energy support scheme.
Emily Atkinson22 February 2023 09:251677056903
Watch: Shelves left bare after supply issues lead to supermarket rations
✕Shelves left bare after supply issues lead to supermarket rationsEmily Atkinson22 February 2023 09:081677054323
Tesco issues six-day warning to anyone who uses a Clubcard
Tesco has issued a voucher-expiry warning to its Clubcard customers as food prices remain at painfully high levels – with consumer expert Martin Lewis chiming in to offer a hack of his own.
More than 20 million people in the UK currently hold a Tesco Clubcard, which allows shoppers to receive special discounts on selected items as well as rack up points they can redeem later as vouchers for use in-store.
Customers can use their Clubcard vouchers to bring down the cost of their weekly shop or fuel, treat themselves to money-off at more than 100 Reward Partners including Pizza Express and Spa Seekers or pick up a new deal with Tesco Mobile.
Thomas Kingsley reports:
Tesco issues six-day warning to anyone who uses a Clubcard
Shoppers have until end of February before their discount vouchers expire
Maryam Zakir-Hussain22 February 2023 08:251677052212
How to save money on your weekly food shop?
Shoppers face an extra £788 on their annual grocery bill because of grocery price inflation, retail analysts Kantar said.
Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar, said: “Households will now face an extra £788 on their annual shopping bills if they don’t change their behaviour to cut costs.”
So, how can we change our behaviour to save money while food shopping?
Financial journalist Paul Lewis, presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Money Box and author of the new tie-in book, offers the following tips…
- Be aware of psychological ploys
- Make a list
Read more here.
How to save money on your weekly food shop – according to a finance expert
Beware of supermarket sales ploys and psychological tricks, warns finance expert Paul Lewis.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar22 February 2023 07:501677050412
Extreme weather conditions behind shortage, says supermarket director
James Bailey, the executive director of supermarket Waitrose, said extreme weather rather than Brexit was to blame for the shortage of produce.
“It’s been snowing and hailing in Spain, it was hailing in North Africa last week – that is wiping out a large proportion of those crops,” he told LBC radio.
“Give it about a fortnight and the other growing seasons in other parts of the world will have caught up and we should be able to get that supply back in.”
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar22 February 2023 07:201677048658
Where are the tomatoes?
Britain is facing a shortage of vegetables, particularly tomatoes, after supermarket supplies were hit by disrupted harvests in southern Europe and north Africa.
Grocers said the situation was exacerbated by less winter production in greenhouses in Britain and the Netherlands due to high energy costs.
Though largely self-sufficient in the summer, Britain typically imports 95 per cent of its tomatoes and 90 per cent of its lettuces from December to March, according to BRC data.
Asda, Britain’s third largest grocer, said it had introduced a temporary three-pack limit for purchases of tomatoes, while rival Morrisons said it would impose a cap of two items per customer.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar22 February 2023 06:501677047458
Supermarkets ration fruit and vegetables with warning over panic buying
Supermarkets across the UK have begun rationing fresh food items in a move that is expected to last “weeks”.
A poor harvest in Europe means Asda is now limiting customers to a maximum of three items such as peppers, lettuce and broccoli.
Morrisons will also start a ban of more than two items from today, with limited produce including tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and peppers.
Rich Booth and Eleanor Noyce report.
Supermarket issues warning as it rations fruit and vegetables
Supplies from Britain’s major winter sources have also been badly affected by weather
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar22 February 2023 06:301677017076
Why supermarkets had empty shelves over the weekend
Shoppers have hit out after reports of empty shelves in supermarkets across the country at the weekend.
Morrisons has admitted a tomato shortage and a general lack of fresh vegetables is reported elsewhere.
Andrea Cowan, the SNP councillor for Rutherglen Central & North, posted a photo on Twitter showing a lack of veg at a site in her local area.
Read more:
Why supermarkets like Tesco and Morrisons had empty shelves over the weekend
Shoppers were unable to get tomatoes at a Morrison’s supermarket as fresh produce sector continues to feel pressure from rising energy costs and a shortage of workers
Eleanor Noyce21 February 2023 22:041677013246
Shortages reported in Ireland alongside UK, with Brexit “unlikely” to be a factor
It isn’t just UK supermarkets that are struggling with fresh produce shortages: stock levels in Ireland have been depleted, too.
Tesco Ireland has reported that its stock levels have been temporarily affected, with locally-owned chain SuperValu confirming similar issues.
Industry sources told the BBC that the UK may be suffering on account of lower domestic production and more complex supply chains alongside a price-sensitive market. However, these sources suggest that Brexit is “unlikely” to be a factor.
Wholesaler Ken Mortimer, CEO of Heritage Fine Food Company, does not believe that Brexit is the cause of the current shortages.
The impact of new border procedures for fruit and vegetable imports will not be seen until January 2024. Imports from Morocco – outside the EU – are already being subjected to border checks.
Eleanor Noyce21 February 2023 21:00
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