Asda limits sales of tomatoes, peppers and more

Products such as tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers are among those restricted by the food chain.

This comes as images of empty store shelves have been surfacing on social media in recent days.

Many of them fresh fruit and vegetables Products are imported from abroad, with Article such as lettuce, lettuce bags, broccoli, cauliflower and raspberries are also threatened.

(PA) Britain appears to be in short supply of fresh fruit and vegetables (Image: PA)

Why are there shortages of tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers?

The scarcity has been attributed to extreme weather conditions in Spain and North Africa, very important regions for growing this food.

The extreme weather includes flooding, snow and hail affecting crops and deliveries.

A Asda spokesman said BBC: “Like other supermarkets, we have problems sourcing some products that are grown in southern Spain and North Africa.”

The high energy prices are also blamed Shortage as farmers in the UK and the Netherlands have restricted the use of greenhouses to grow winter crops as the cost is too high.

Last year’s European heatwave also caused problems in the production of onions, which are normally grown and stored during the summer.

CONTINUE READING: Why are tomatoes in short supply? Morrisons and Tesco face shortages

How long will the shortage of fresh fruit and vegetables last?

Director of Food and Sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, Andrew Opie, said the disruption was expected to last “a few weeks”.

He added that supermarkets “are able to manage supply chain issues and are working with farmers to ensure customers have access to a wide range of fresh produce”.

“Myriad individual factors” causing bottlenecks

Nigel Jenney, chief executive of the Fresh Produce Consortium, which represents hundreds of companies, said: “There were myriad individual factors,” adding that producers suffered from “weather, fuel costs, packaging and distribution costs, energy costs.”

Anecdotal evidence suggests that the UK has been particularly hard hit by the shortages, with other European countries showing little sign of empty shelves.

Experts assume that the UK could suffer more from lower domestic production and complex supply chains.