The government has called in supermarket executives to meet food and farming minister Mark Spencer as Tesco, Morrisons, Lidl, Aldi, and Asda have all imposed purchase limits on certain vegetables due to shortages.
Lidl is the most recent supermarket to limit the number of peppers, cucumbers, and tomatoes consumers can purchase.
As with other prominent supermarkets which have imposed purchase limits on certain salad items. Lidl has said the move is due to shortages of the products because of weather conditions.
“As communicated to our customers via signage in our stores last week, adverse weather conditions in Spain and Morocco have recently impacted the availability of certain salad items throughout the supermarket industry,” the German discount retailer said.
The measure is precautionary and the product is sold in most stores.
“Due to a recent increase in demand, we’ve decided to temporarily limit purchases of peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers to three per customer,” Lidl said. “This will assist to ensure that all of our customers have access to the products they require.”
As vegetable shortages continue, the Department of Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has summoned UK supermarkets to answer inquiries.
Representatives from prominent retailers experiencing shortages will meet with food and agriculture minister Mark Spencer on Monday afternoon.
Tesco, Aldi, Asda, and Morrisons have all announced limits on certain items in the past week.
Mr. Spencer said, “I’m bringing in supermarket executives to find out what they’re doing to restock shelves and to explain how we can prevent this from happening again.”
Therese Coffey, the secretary of the environment, spoke with several major retailers on Friday.
Drought in the summer in Morocco and Spain, followed by cold weather in the winter, has damaged agriculture. The two locations provide the majority of the United Kingdom’s winter demand for salad vegetables.
In addition, many British producers have reduced greenhouse production due to rising energy costs. Tomatoes and peppers can be grown year-round in the United Kingdom using illuminated, heated greenhouses and gas-derived fertilizer.
However, the energy-intensive industry has not received the same government support as other major energy consumers. As a consequence, some British farmers have delayed planting until later in the year.
Supermarkets in the European Union have managed to avoid the shortages as charging higher prices means suppliers prioritize them.
The problem was exacerbated by bad weather that affected sea crossings from Morocco to Spain. Four to six days are required to transport fruit and vegetables from Morocco across the straits of Gibraltar and the English Channel.
Strikes by Border Force and port employees in Calais last week were the second blow to the fruit and vegetable supply chain.
