Why is it so hard to get fruit and salad?

[ItWillWash]

Is it my area or a widespread thing?

I'm trying to order a small same-day delivery so I have lunches and breakfasts for today and tomorrow until I can do a big shop.

Morrisons have suspended deliveries on Uber due to low stock. Tesco is sold out of all varieties of tomatoes, pineapples and grapes and also don't have the yogurts I like. Asda has sold out of lettuce, cucumber, and grapes. Iceland have sold out of lettuce and cucumbers.

It was the same last time I tried to order food online. What's going on?

I just had a Sainsbury's delivery last night (England) with loads of fruit and veg - the only substitutes were the strawberries cartons swapped to different sized ones. I had peppers and tomatoes and spinach.

I keep my own chickens so plenty of eggs as we are unaffected by those particular supply chains.

My husband has filled the greenhouse with wood though to save money on oil so I doubt we'll be growing as much this summer.

After empty shelves all week, Tescos are well topped up this morning. Salad tomatoes re-packaged, so had to buy 10 for 85p - not complaining, some are slightly under-ripe so will last two of us a week or so

Fascinate me in the sense that you have utterly thrown yourself in to this thread with a vigour and commitment that baffles me a little! 😂

good on you re the refund! If you put a fraction of the effort that you’ve poured in to this thread in to getting that refund…. I’m guessing it’s a huge amount!

GPTec1
Price increases but not wide spread shortages...

I've just read thewooster's link to the NL Times (article dated 22 Feb 2023);

Cold weather in Southern Europe and empty Dutch greenhouses due to high energy bills have resulted in empty vegetable shelves in the Netherlands.

Tomatoes, peppers, cauliflowers, and avocados are in short supply - and their prices have risen accordingly,

Wim van Geest, the owner of a family business active in the fruit and vegetable trade, confirmed the current shortages. “At this time of year, we are always more dependent on imports. Then the tomatoes come from Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. But it was cold there, so there is much less supply,”

Supermarkets are putting up signs that the supply of fresh fruit and veg is smaller...
Some supermarkets limit how many cauliflowers, for example, each customer can buy.

“It is difficult to say how long this will last because it is very weather dependent, and that is difficult to predict. But it is no reason to panic,” Wever said. “Think of vegetables from the freezer or vegetable packages from the refrigerated shelves.”

Wilma van den Oever of the GroentenFruit Huis hopes the current situation will encourage consumers to eat more seasonally. “Think of leeks, carrots, parsnips, kale,” she said to the newspaper.

The Titanic is unsinkable and I can see no icebergs. My heart ❤ will go on.....

UK Supermarkets are just in short supply though, they have empty shelves.

Yes the weather plays a vital part in supply but i think its stupid to dismiss the effect of the non tariff trade barriers we have with EU.

I'm just not seeing any supply issues in S/W France.

It's not just veg, i ve just put 4 new tyres on my car, the same tyres (Conti's) in the UK are £12 each more expensive from BlackCircle and £20 each more from Kwikfit etc.

Not everything is more/short supply but the simple fact is, stuff coming from EU is often much more in UK than EU.

Cue several Clav suspect links ... saying differently ha ha!

I recall it was much more incisive than that. In front on the cameras he announced there were no US troops in Baghdad, then a reporter opened the door to the hall to let in the sounds of US tanks rolling along the highway at the press centre. I was in the pub watching it happen!
He was also one of the regimes main officers that never got charged with war crimes and now lives in Bahrain I believe.

GPTec1
UK Supermarkets are [not] just in short supply though, they have empty shelves

The first paragraph of the article;

^Cold weather in Southern Europe and empty Dutch greenhouses due to high energy bills have resulted in empty vegetable shelves in the Netherlands.

I’ve just messaged Dutch MIL and Dutch SIL and Dutch cousins to ask if there are any shortages in NL!

I have peppers but no tomatoes for the last week (furthest edge of London).

Apparently no shortages in Netherlands but food more expensive, MIL gave example of bloemkool (cauliflower) which is €3 now.

thewooster

the articles you've put up show price increases. The stores abroad have shelves with tomatoes and other vegetables that in the UK have empty shelves

Cold weather in Southern Europe and empty Dutch greenhouses due to high energy bills have resulted in empty vegetable shelves in the Netherlands. Tomatoes, peppers, cauliflowers, and avocados are in short supply - and their prices have risen accordingly, the Telegraaf reports.

Fruit and veg prices are skyrocketing on the continent and that's mainly what they are reporting about at the moment. Their costs are very high, but some countries are experiencing lack of supply too.

I don't think any country is having it easy at the mo.

I got back from Spain on Tuesday and never saw evidence of any shortage at all. Quite the opposite in fact. Wonderfully stocked supermarkets.

Spain's shelves should be full as they grow the stuff, but
Spain is struggling to meet European's demands.
www.fruitnet.com/eurofruit/spain-struggling-to-meet-european-vegetable-demand/248378.article

Not according to a Dutch posters parents or the former ceo of Sainsburys.... or my experience in France today or any other day i ve been shopping over the last 3 weeks.

wanted fajitas for dinner tomorrow, had to replan as can’t find peppers anywhere. Been to about. 5 different supermarkets 😖
morrisons looked like it had been ripped apart. I’m really feeling bad for vegans right now.

Even if we were in the EU the fruit and veg would be in short supply because it’s down to the lack of vegetables at source.

It would mean everyone else in the EU would ran out quicker too and we really wouldn’t be better off for long.

I am not sure what you are saying. There is plenty of evidence that there is no problem over in many many countries of the EU.
We have supply chain issues and are last in the queue because of brexit
We was supposed to have a deal with Morocco with fictitious ferries bringing us the goods (I cam link to this story if you want), it was all made up. What Morocco has is being sold to it's neighbours not to us

The EU countries do not have the problem of empty shelves.

Lea Valley Growers

The above article confirms why we have no British grown produce. From the horses mouth.

No shortage of fruit and veg in our Aldi here in France. Expensive though, cauliflowers are €3.49.
However the frozen section has been quite empty lately, no idea what that’s about.

BBC interview earlier re “why don’t we eat seasonal home-grown UK veg?” : The UK’s formerly largest turnip farmer had to stop growing turnips six months ago. He said seasonal home-grown veg like his couldn’t be done any more because of several reasons: it’s seasonal; it’s very labour intensive; lack of workers post-Brexit - complicated red tape and also workers don’t want to come to the UK; turnips are not a sexy veg. He’s swapped to growing carrots and potatoes.

What don’t you get?
If the farmer can only supply 1000 lettuce that’s what’s available. So if we were in the EU will could get a bigger share of the 1000 but there’s less for France and Germany. If normally the farmer produces 5000 lettuce then something has to give and everyone runs out.

So people saying “oh we’ve got lots here in France” is probably thanks to us not being in the EU. And the fact UK supermarkets fight hard for a low price. The U.K. is a massive market for salad and clearly some is getting through.

I bought tomatoes for 85p for six at Waitrose this morning. The probably won’t be in stock this afternoon but they are still available everyday.

Just back from sainsburys

heaving with fruit and veg

Good for you and your tomatoes, enjoy!!