‘Rare’ tomatoes on sale for £500 as supermarkets shelves run bare

Retailers have warned that the shortages could last for weeks

Bad weather in Europe and Africa has disrupted supplies (PA) (PA Archive)

Six salad tomatoes are on sale for £500 as supermarket shelves in the UK run bare amid supply issues.

One person has made light of the fruit and vegetable shortages by selling six tomatoes that are “unused and in original packaging”.

Retailers have warned that the shortages could last for weeks as bad weather and transport problems in Africa and Europe have left supermarkets with a low supply of tomatoes and other fresh produce.

Supermarket shelves in the UK run bare amid supply issues. (PA)

The seller joked: “Of course the limited availability of tomatoes and other fresh fruit and veg has nothing to do with problems caused by Brexit, such as delays and additional costs and paperwork at customs. Neither is the shortage of agricultural workers in the UK caused by Brexit anything to do with the rarity of this product.

“The product is, like the UK, perishable. If you wish to be sure of purchasing this rare item please consider the “Buy Now” option. If you delay in purchasing the tomatoes may be in poor condition, however they may still be useful as novelty items or projectiles to show your appreciation for our wonderful government. (Never forget the world-beating COVID vaccination programme).”

They continued: “All proceeds from the sale of these tomatoes will be donated to #NationalRejoinMarch”.

There has been disagreement over whether the shortages have been compounded by Brexit. The Best for Britain campaign group said while Brexit was not responsible for the adverse conditions currently hitting crops, it had impacted supply chains over the past few years.

However, some have pointed out that shelves in supermarkets in the rest of Europe are full compared to the UK. Alfonso Gálvez, general secretary of the Murcia branch of Asaja, Spain’s biggest farming association said the vegetable season is unaffected in Spain, compared to the UK where some supermarkets are limiting customers to buying only three items of certain products.

He said: “Things are normal so far this season so I don’t know if it’s more a problem of UK logistics since the Brexit regulations came into effect. There’s enough produce to supply the market and the vegetable season is happening pretty normally.”

Retailers have warned that shortages could last for weeks. Environment secretary Therese Coffey told the Commons today that government officials expect food shortages “will last about another two to four weeks”.

Ministers were urged in Parliament today to hold an emergency Cobra meeting on food shortages. Lib Dem MP Christine Jardine said people were “rightly alarmed” by empty shelves and said the government appeared to have “no urgent plan to fix it”.

“We need an urgent Cobra meeting, together with food experts, supermarkets and farmers, to hammer out an urgent solution to this crisis. Ministers cannot just sit on their hands while food supply chains across the country grind to a halt.”