Food shortages – latest: Carrots, leeks and cabbages could run low in weeks as supermarkets ration

Growers also warn British-grown leek supplies could be exhausted by April

Brexit to blame for food shortages in Britain, chair of Save British Food says

Volumes of carrots, leeks, cabbage and cauliflower could run low “within weeks,” growers have warned.

Jack Ward, CEO of the British Growers Association, said: “The industry is beginning to see the negative impact of last summer’s extreme temperatures and drought on UK crops.

“Volumes are running low as a result of the weather last summer and the situation has been made worse by harsh frosts around Christmas.

“Consequently we may start to see stocks of crops like carrots, leeks, cabbage and cauliflower running low within the coming weeks.

He added: “Europe has also been hit by adverse weather conditions and so supplies from other parts of Europe may be difficult to source until the new crops start to appear around June.”

It comes after the Liberal Democrats called on the government to convene an emergency Cobra meeting after four of the UK’s biggest supermarkets put limits on the amount of fruit and vegetables customers may buy.

Tesco, Aldi, Morrison’s and Asda have introduced rationing, placing a cap of three items per customer on tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers.

Key points

• Carrots, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower could run out ‘within weeks'
• Shortage 'could last until May’
• Calls for emergency Cobra meeting
• ‘Rare’ tomatoes on sale for £500
• Ukraine supermarkets full of fruit and veg as UK rations

[24 February 2023 06:00 · Namita Singh]

Intense talks, familiar wrangles as UK, EU seek Brexit reset

Senior UK and European Union officials met yesterday as part of what Britain called “intensive negotiations” to resolve a thorny post-Brexit trade dispute that has spawned a political crisis in Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland secretary Chris Heaton-Harris traveled to Brussels to meet Maroš Šefčovič, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator.

Hopes of a breakthrough were raised last week when prime minister Rishi Sunak flew to Belfast to meet leaders of Northern Ireland’s political leaders and discuss progress. But hints of compromise by the UK government sparked opposition from hard-line euroskeptics in Mr Sunak’s governing Conservative Party, costing the prime minister vital political momentum to secure a deal.

Report:

Senior U.K. and European Union officials are meeting as part of what Britain calls “intensive negotiations” to resolve a thorny post-Brexit trade dispute that has spawned a political crisis

[24 February 2023 05:30 · Namita Singh]

Boris Johnson ramps up pressure on Sunak to pass his EU-defying protocol bill

Boris Johnson has ramped up Brexiteer pressure on Rishi Sunak to defy the EU in Brexit negotiations and push on with a unilateral bill to rip up the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The prime minister is under pressure from Tory moderates to sign a compromise deal with Brussels, but No 10 is believed to have put the brakes on an agreement in a bid to win over the DUP and hardliners in the European Research Group.

Mr Johnson made his first public statement on the row on Thursday, urging Mr Sunak not to ditch the Northern Ireland Protocol bill introduced last summer when he was still at No 10.

Our political correspondent Adam Forrest has more:

[24 February 2023 05:00 · Namita Singh]

Ukraine supermarkets full of fruit and veg as UK rations

Full shelves of food have been pictured greeting customers in war-torn Ukraine as Britian’s supermarkets struggle to stock items.

Environment secretary Thérèse Coffey said on Thursday that salad and other vegetable items could be short in the UK for up to one month.

The government has come under fire for not supporting British farmers and also enacting Brexit policies that have led to the shortages. Tesco, Asda, Aldi and Morrisons have all limited the number of some fruits and vegetables that customers can buy.

More in this report:

[24 February 2023 04:30 · Namita Singh]

Coffey would rather make us eat Baldrick’s favourite veg than admit Brexit is a failure

Britain’s politicians can’t bring themselves to tell the truth about empty shelves, writes our chief business commentator James Moore.

[24 February 2023 04:00 · Namita Singh]

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

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.

My colleague Martha McHardy reports:

[24 February 2023 03:30 · Namita Singh]

Value range shoppers 'bear brunt' of food price inflation

Shoppers relying on the cheapest supermarket ranges are bearing the brunt of grocery inflation with price rises on value items far outstripping those of branded and premium products, figures show.

The price of value items was up 21.6 per cent in January on a year before, well in excess of overall grocery inflation of 15.9 per cent, Which? found.

In comparison, branded goods rose by 13.2 per cent over the year, own-label premium ranges were up 13.4 per cent and standard own-brand items increased 18.9 per cent.

Report:

[23 February 2023 23:05 · Jane Dalton]

Farmers are in trouble – and that means UK food security is too

This opinion piece from last year makes some pertinent points in the light of the latest food crisis:

[23 February 2023 22:01 · Jane Dalton]

‘Rare’ tomatoes on sale for £500

An online seller is asking £500 for six salad tomatoes as supermarket shelves run bare.

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

[23 February 2023 21:26 · Jane Dalton]

Coffey heckled by MPs as she fumbles question on supply issues

Watch:

[23 February 2023 20:05 · Jane Dalton]

Opinion: Coffey would rather make us eat Baldrick’s favourite veg than admit Brexit is a failure

If you put up trade barriers like this government has, you inevitably create problems with your supply chains, which are apt to buckle in the face of challenges, writes James Moore: