Brexit Blamed For Shortages As Fruit And Veg Are Rationed

Tesco has followed Asda and Morrisons in introducing limits on purchases

- Jane Dalton

Britain’s biggest supermarket has begun rationing fresh fruit and vegetables as a row erupted over shortages that have left shelves bare. Tesco has followed Aldi, Asda and Morrisons in introducing limits on items customers can buy. A shortage of tomatoes has widened to other fruit and vegetables due to a combination of bad weather and transport problems in Africa and Europe.

But farmers and retailers have pointed the finger at Brexit, with former Sainsbury’s chief executive Justin King saying shops had been hurt by the decision to leave the European Union. He said north Kent previously had the largest greenhouses in Europe “but it’s a sector that’s been hurt horribly by Brexit”. He also said supermarkets had suffered from the government’s decision to exclude the industry from its energy support scheme. Andrew Opie, head of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, which represents shops, said the shortages were likely to last for weeks.

In winter, the UK imports around 95 per cent of its tomatoes and 90 per cent of its lettuces, mostly from Spain and north Africa. Growers and suppliers in Morocco have faced cold weather, heavy rain, flooding and cancelled ferries in the past four weeks – all of which have reduced the amount of fruit and veg reaching Britain. Shoppers in France, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Poland and Italy have been mocking Britain by posting pictures of greengrocers near them with plentiful supplies, particularly of tomatoes. In Britain, consumers have reported finding fruit and veg aisles stripped bare or low in goods, prompting concerns over Britain’s future food security.