I am so fed up of a lack of food in shops.

[OutofEverything]

This has been going on for a few years but is only getting worse. I had to go to 3 supermarkets before I found some eggs. No lettuce at all, a few packs of salad tomatoes available in one supermarket, loads of empty spaces in the fruit and veg section, and in ASDA even the freezers had loads of empty spaces.

Before anyone says yes I know we will not starve, there is enough actual food. But a visit to a supermarket now is a lottery about what will be available and what is missing. And more and more I am having to visit multiple shops to get absolute basics.

I am too, live in Sweden, and here there are no shortages at all and it's not something that is talked about either. Which country are you in where there are shortages?

This.

We are in Spain!

Where in the EU are you? Ireland is right beside the UK and isn’t experiencing shortages

I have a few tomatoes and a half cucumber in my fridge. Part of the answer is to stop using supermarkets for fruit and veg. Instead buy food from suppliers who treat their growers more fairly, have contracts with them on better terms.

Even buy direct from farmers if that’s an option. I promise I don’t work for them but you can find farmers to buy direct from at Bigbarn.

I'm sure you aren't experiencing shortages as Sweden pays very well for its imported food (hence prices in Sweden seeming astronomical to visiting brits!)

It might depend where you are, I haven’t noticed it in London or a couple of other areas I spend a lot of time in.

Casting my mind back to Covid local shops and markets usually had what the supermarkets didn’t so try that? If also might be worth trying online shopping if you haven’t.

Spain, they have said it regularly happens. No one is moaning here. Honestly the entitlement!
Sometimes you will just have to live with cherry tomatoes poor diddums and limit yourself to eating just the two cucumbers a day.

interesting, maybe it’s due to being on holiday in a place with lots of tourists?

So where are you?

Here in France that's just not true,

Have gone from north to south this week. No shortages, all good stuff. DS is in Netherlands - bountiful as ever

Also Swedish supermarkets don’t have the vast choice of British supermarkets. As is the case almost all over Europe.

Somebody from Sweden was on a thread recently complaining that cabbages had gone up to 10 quid even though she could see a field of them from the shop. Not to say UK shortages aren’t worse.

Yes totally agree.

People rely on supermarkets and demand cheaper and cheaper food. The supermarkets are all powerful and refuse to pay rising prices, they've now been stiffed by EU suppliers who may have a slight shortage but can get far more for their crops from other European countries.

A lot ofnour tomatoes come from the Netherlands who needed to heat their polytunnels more this season and the cost of that was huge. Uk supermarkets refused to pay the extra cost so they've fucked themselves. Good. I hope their vast profits suffer.

It’s bountiful in the U.K. for heavens sake. It’s really so pathetic. Have you seen our starving nation? Wasting away I tell you, wasting away.

Few gaps in Tesco but will check out the fruit and veg shop today in next town, he buys from fruit/veg market in Glasgow I believe. Think more people will be growing their own veg now. We have chickens and have a surplus of eggs, going to exchange them for something i need this morning.

@Blessedwithsunshine It's not the lack of tomatoes that is the issue here, this is just symbolic of how generally having and expecting less and paying more is being normalised. Whether that's in our food supply, education, health or whatever else we rely on. What is embarrassing is that people are happy to accept the government narrative that this is just how it is due to whatever excuse they are making up on the day.

Paying more SHOULD be normalised. Stop our grubby dirt cheap deals that supermarkets are striking with suppliers - changing things at the last minute, knocking 20% off the cost price if deliveries are a minute late, treating farmers like shit just so we can have a few cherry tomatoes in January.

Sorry to derail, but since Covid (or more likely, Brexit) I've experienced a first - lemons going mouldy within a week.
Lemons used to last us weeks/months. Now I'm regularly chucking them out like they're a soft fruit.
I assume something grim is now happening in the supply chain, such as the lemons being frozen and then defrosted.
Anyone else?

There is that pesky small detail causing issues with prices, not sure the news has reached you clearly, but there is a WAR in Europe. Yes! That tiny tiny detail of thousands of lives being lost daily and people have the sheer audacity to post bleating about bloody tomatoes!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is unbelievable to me, that they simply do not have the basic intelligence to work out why there is a cost of living crisis and chain reactions.

European and “sanctioned” Russias,even Ukraines supermarkets are full of produce. Plenty of food around its just bot making it to the Uk,our politicians are too busy laundering taxpayers funds

Nope. Just you.
Meanwhile bodies of man, women and children mount in Ukraine.

Oh come on. This is literally a thread about food supply issues you muppet.

But Ukraine dosent have any of these issues,plenty of food,restaurants full (in the west), the war and supply issues are in the East of Ukraine. I have family in Ukraine sending me photos of stacked shelves while i show then empty shelves in my local shops

Some other sources of fruit and veg who treat their suppliers more fairly:

Riverford
Able and Cole

This is a map of smaller UK veg growers who sell direct to the public. Use them!

It's really annoying when you shop online and then still have to drive to the shop!

This week I have all the ingredients for -

chilli con burgers and spaghetti bologburgers! (mince subbed for burgers)
carrot and basil soup (coriander subbed for basil)

So despite paying £4 to have my shopping delivered - I have to head to the shop.