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Original poster

Why is it so hard to get fruit and salad?

279 replies

ItWillWash · 21/02/2023 05:45

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?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
Sparklingbrook · 21/02/2023 07:38

Don't know anything about that

Well we do know about that because you can't exactly keep the weather secret. 🤔

TheDead · 21/02/2023 07:41

Why then does it only seem to be the UK having supply problems?
As I've said there are no shortages here in ireland apart from in m&s

TroysMammy · 21/02/2023 07:48

I don't buy greenhouse vegetables /salad from Spain because they use plastic. Look up Simon Reeves' Mediterranean for a better understanding. If I can't find vegetables/salad grown elsewhere I go without.

Crumpetdisappointment · 21/02/2023 07:48

cost of gas

Crumpetdisappointment · 21/02/2023 07:49

when i was at primary school, we had winter salad,
beetroot, carrots, apple
can't remember what else

qpmz · 21/02/2023 07:57

We need to be more flexible in what we eat and do without or buy alternatives.

Gallanthus · 21/02/2023 07:58

It’s hardly as if the majority of supermarkets have zero produce for many weeks on end.

A very small minority of posters have noticed some shelves have not been restocked within 24 hours likely due to transport or staffing issues with that particular store and the world has ended.

Our local Tesco was stacked to the hilt at 06:00 on Saturday morning, a hive of activity at that time as the overnight staff were just finishing off. At 09:00 I had to go to Sainsbury to collect an item from Argos and it was the same there. Stacked to the hilt. I went to the local independent on Sunday to pick up some flowers and he’s well stocked on everything, a lot of it is British grown except the fruit and there was plenty of that - four varieties of grape. The Co-op on Sunday night was low on staples and fresh produce, but then it’s had two days of trading and no deliveries and it serves a big village.

Sadlifter · 21/02/2023 07:59

Sainsbury was fully stocked yesterday at 11am but by 5pm there were lots of empty fruit and veg shelves.

I quite like it. When it's gone it's gone. Always seems wasteful to have to have groaning shelves of perishable items at 7pm just before it shuts.

Original poster
ItWillWash · 21/02/2023 08:00

qpmz · 21/02/2023 07:57

We need to be more flexible in what we eat and do without or buy alternatives.

I try to be flexible but I have issues around food and when I am restricting I can only eat "safe" foods. It's stupid I know, but I'd honestly probably just fast if I couldn't get any of my "safe" foods.

Maybe I need to try and expand my list of safe foods to something more seasonal than pineapples, grapes and salad.

I agree in general, though, we should all try to eat more seasonal fruit and veg.

OP posts:
emmathedilemma · 21/02/2023 08:01

Appparently it's due to the weather conditions in Spain. I've been in Morrisons, Aldi and Waitrose since Friday evening and not a pepper or cucumber to be seen. Very little salad leaves and only Waitrose had a few tomatoes which were probably left because they looked inedible.

Gallanthus · 21/02/2023 08:03

Where are you @emmathedilemma
that doesn’t sound normal for most people?

SilverGlitterBaubles · 21/02/2023 08:04

It is very noticeable when you go to Ireland or supermarkets in another EU country how full their shelves are of produce. I think we have become blind to empty shelves as it's been the norm for a while now, it is only when you see what normal looks like that you realise we do have a supply chain problem. Brexit is the gift that keeps giving.

emmathedilemma · 21/02/2023 08:05

@Gallanthus I'm in Scotland (major city though). There was a very long thread about this yesterday, it's definitely not uncommon and I know people who've been in other stores and found the same. www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4746762-fruit-and-veg-shortages?page=6&reply=124068319

BertHandsome · 21/02/2023 08:06

Our Lild had lots of veg / fruit didn’t struggle for anything on Sunday.

However, imo I think this will be the norm moving forward. The climate is changing and “poor weather conditions” will become more frequent. We will have to start eating more local, “seasonal” food rather than having things like fresh tomatoes and peppers available all year round.

GPTec1 · 21/02/2023 08:09

SilverGlitterBaubles · 21/02/2023 08:04

It is very noticeable when you go to Ireland or supermarkets in another EU country how full their shelves are of produce. I think we have become blind to empty shelves as it's been the norm for a while now, it is only when you see what normal looks like that you realise we do have a supply chain problem. Brexit is the gift that keeps giving.

Yes in France, we have plenty of Fruit n Veg, it takes too long now to clear customs at the border, drivers don't get paid for sitting in queues and stuff goes off, EU drivers don't want to come to the UK either, crappy services.

European wholesalers prioritise their own countries when there are issues with supply i.e weather/energy or input costs.

BeyondMyWits · 21/02/2023 08:10

In Gloucestershire... Asda on Saturday morning had no fresh tomatoes or peppers. Sign up saying issues are temporary and expect to be resolved within next 3 weeks.

Sadlifter · 21/02/2023 08:12

GPTec1 · 21/02/2023 08:09

Yes in France, we have plenty of Fruit n Veg, it takes too long now to clear customs at the border, drivers don't get paid for sitting in queues and stuff goes off, EU drivers don't want to come to the UK either, crappy services.

European wholesalers prioritise their own countries when there are issues with supply i.e weather/energy or input costs.

Show quote history

I'm not sure how true this is as there are plenty of some European grown fruits and veg. Just not the salad items from Spain.

Sadlifter · 21/02/2023 08:13

I mean, European food suppliers aren't going to just stop supplying to the UK because their drivers don't like the services. We buy something from Europe and have had absolutely no issues, plenty of drivers and lorries still.

I voted remain and think Brexit is shit, for context.

DinosApple · 21/02/2023 08:17

Eggs are regularly out of stock for my Tesco's delivery. And been very tricky to get since beginning of December.

I presume that is due to the prevalence of bird flu where I live (East Anglia). It won't be Brexit because they're British eggs.

Now red peppers and cucumbers, they're going in and out of stock all the time. I assumed that is Brexit.

gingercat02 · 21/02/2023 08:18

My online Morrisons was all there. One sub but that was fresh soup. I've been in M&S and Sainsburys since and all fine. NE England

gingercat02 · 21/02/2023 08:18

My online Morrisons was all there. One sub but that was fresh soup. I've been in M&S and Sainsburys since and all fine. NE England

stealthninjamum · 21/02/2023 08:19

I haven’t noticed shortages in the last few days and I went to Tesco and sainsburys yesterday. The only thing I thought that was strange was Tesco had big open trays of peppers and only had yellow and red so I was able to buy two red rather than a packet of three peppers of different colours. So I wondered if there’s a problem with green peppers (although I always assumed they haven’t ripened)

MarshaMelrose · 21/02/2023 08:22

TheDead · 21/02/2023 07:18

I'm in ireland & there's absolutely no shortages of fruit or veg where I am apart from M&S & their stock has been v unreliable for ages now.

I assume its a Brexit thing

I dont know. I live in the North West of England and no shortages in the supermarkets here. So...🤷‍♀️

MarshaMelrose · 21/02/2023 08:27

GPTec1 · 21/02/2023 08:09

Yes in France, we have plenty of Fruit n Veg, it takes too long now to clear customs at the border, drivers don't get paid for sitting in queues and stuff goes off, EU drivers don't want to come to the UK either, crappy services.

European wholesalers prioritise their own countries when there are issues with supply i.e weather/energy or input costs.

Show quote history

Well, somehow, those EU drivers are gritting their teeth and holding their noses at being in the ugly UK and making their way from the fair France to the NW of England. Because we're fully stocked up here.

ifonly4 · 21/02/2023 08:30

As said bad weather has caused the problem with tomatoes. I also read about transport issues. Peppers and cucumbers also totally out. Have been told some people are having problems getting lettuces. We won't starve, but we're only just realising how lucky to have a massive choice and what we want on demand.