Banana shortage hits several Tesco stores across UK

Customers faced empty shelves in shops across Maidstone, London, Bournemouth and the Isle of Sheppey

Several Tesco stores have been hit with a banana shortage (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Several Tesco shops across the UK have been hit with a banana shortage, with one store blaming shipment delays caused by bad weather.

Customers faced empty shelves in shops across Maidstone, London, Bournemouth and the Isle of Sheppey, according to Sky News and customer social media posts.

At a supermarket in Osterley, west London, a sign read: "We are sorry that bananas are out of stock due to bad weather conditions. We are working hard with our suppliers to refill our shelves."

Tesco has been approached for comment.

Bananas are one of Tesco’s bestselling products, with most coming from Costa Rica, Ecuador and Colombia, according to the supermarket’s website.

A customer in Bournemouth, Dorset, wrote on X: “What, no bananas!” - showing a row of shelves complete empty of the popular fruit.

Another shopper in the Isley of Sheppey, Kent, wrote: “Yes, we have no bananas! Empty shelves at Tesco on the sun-kissed Isle of Sheppey today following the non arrival of the banana boat.”

A different customer wrote on X: “Can someone please explain to me why Tesco have no bananas in stock what is this sorcery?”

“Sorry is there a banana famine that I am not aware of? How can my local Tesco (the big one) and Aldi be out of bananas for the past 3 days?!”, one customer added.

In March last year, dozens of supermarkets including Tesco and Aldi were hit by banana shortages due to transatlantic storms.

Customers across Congleton, Cheshire, Flitwick, Bedfordshire, Milton, Cambridgeshire, and Thurso, Dunfermline and Dundee, in Scotland, were affected.