What's with the lack of vegetables in shops?

[user1481838270]

I know it's January but what is with the lack of vegetables in shops?

I've been in a few supermarkers in different areas in the last few weeks and none of these shops seem to have courgettes or spinich. Other vegetables such as broccoli and carrots are also in short supply.

I don't ever remember supplies being this bad in January before.

Is there a war on that I don't know about?

[Lottie4]

Guess we'll just have to change our eating habits for a bit - I love salad and have it most lunchtimes, DD has peppers, cucumbers & tomatoes in her lunchbox (as well as fruit) and then we have our cooked veg in the evening.

[100greenbottles]

Our veg box is fine- even had broccoli when no one else did. Because it's almost all grown here. Courgettes and lettuce in feb is unsustainable.

[Ifailed]

MrsSlocombesPussy
Supermarkets buy crops on appearance because that's how the majority of their customers buy them.

[Pestilentialone]

I've started buying my veg from the butcher

Our green grocer closed down a couple of months ago. The butcher, who is also a pig farmer, asked his farming mates to supply veg.
Oodles of fresh local veg at very low prices.
Use independent shops, they can be far more flexible than supermarkets if they are supported by local people.

I think you will find lorries have special locks and seals on their doors, so they can tell if anyone has been tampering, getting a free ride. The DM is not an accurate representation of real life.

[MrsSlocombesPussy]

There is no 'law' to supply veg on appearance. It is the big supermarkets who refuse to buy less than perfect veg. There was a documentary last year by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall about this showing whole crops being ploughed back into the fields because supermarkets refused to buy them.

[Trainspotting1984]

The food is packed though? They're not sitting on a pile of lettuces. It's a refrigerated lorry, the actual food is packed into containers. The immigrants are just in the lorry part

[Bookaboo]

How do People hiding in lorries contaminate food?

Well, they're hardly going to be asking the driver to stop at the services when they need the toilet are they? I would have thought human waste would be the biggest risk for food contamination.

[Trainspotting1984]

How can illegal immigrants contaminate lettuce? Do you think they're squashed up against the veg or something?

[Mistigri]

Do I not make myself clear?

Crystal clear, I'd say... Hence the responses ...

[gillybeanz]

I shop daily from the markets, it's so cheap, local produce and no shortages.
have never done an online shop, usually just walk to town.
Does it cost much more?

[DalekBred]

Im sure its been said on the news about contaminated food. because people hiding in lorries will nor have had adequate cleaning and washing facilities in camps therefore they may not be clean. Im not talking about ALL lorries and ALL food....why do my posts always give the wrong impression? Do I not make myself clear?

and I didn't make any mention of national products, only products from overseas.

and according to the news (which Im sure many people watch as they like to know whats going on in the world) there are more illegal migrants than thought of (and I stressed IM not bashing migrants, its a GENUINE question about the food).

[EssentialHummus]

those that get caught...isn't the food classed as contaminated? and if it is, is it all thrown away, as the buyers lose money from it? or do they still send it to supermarkets?

I actually wonder this too. Not to suggest that it's causing the current shortage, just in general.

And no, there was no lettuce of any variety in Sainsbury's a little while ago today.

[specialsubject]

Perhaps a wake up call not to expect summer veg in winter? Tomatoes and lettuce are tasteless at this time of year.

We can only hope that the UK law that we get veg for appearance, not flavour will be repealed at some time.

[Lottie4]

No tomatoes and only a few packs of peppers in Tescos this morning. Quite a lot of vegetable crates are turned over I guess due to no supply. I've been trying to buy Brussels sproats over the last few days from there, but they haven't got any - do they buy their sproats from Spain?!

[theothercatpurred]

DalekBred - what?!!

Do you really think there are so many immigrants in veg trucks that their presence would effect the national supply of courgettes and salad? And why not tomatoes or carrots?!

Your logic is screwy! If you read the Express or the Mail I suggest you give them a rest, they are distorting your perception of reality!

[languagelearner]

There's a shortage up here too, in Scandinavia. First there was some salad etc. at about £10/kg and now there was barely none at all. No courgettes. I bought an ecological white cabbage head instead. The salads is now flown in from the States, I read.

[Mistigri]

It doesn't help that British farms are closing because they can't get farmworkers: app.ft.com/content/e22c9d5c-e95c-11e6-893c-082c54a7f539

We are in France and there are no obvious shortages here, although prices have gone up a bit. But shops here sell more seasonal local produce. Plenty of lettuces, had no idea there was a UK shortage until I read the news!

Think much of the problem is over-reliance on Spanish mass production, because UK supermarkets will only buy from the cheapest producers. Here in France we can never get a lettuce for 45p even in season; I typically pay between €0.9 and €1.30 (roughly £0.85-£1.20) depending on season and variety of lettuce.

No shortage of courgettes either, although they are more expensive than usual.

The story here is that UK supermarkets don't pay enough for their vegetables and that as a result their supply chains are too narrow and therefore vulnerable to disruption.

[PatriciaHolm]

People aren't coming in sleeping on the lettuces.

And we produce less than 60% of the food we eat, partly at least because we demand things be available all year round when it's impossible to meet that demand given our climate.

[Lico]

Contaminated by what?

[DalekBred]

Can I ask a genuine question?

Just wondering: fresh produce from Europe.

Comes in lorries.

people smuggling themselves on lorries.

those that get caught...isn't the food classed as contaminated? and if it is, is it all thrown away, as the buyers lose money from it? or do they still send it to supermarkets?

and the people that successfully get into the UK and are NOT found on lorries, its unknown if food has been contaminated (If that's the right word).

I don't think anyones fallen sick or anything from produce from Europe, just genuinely wondering.

and cant most of the veg and fruit be grown in the UK? I though most things were.

and btw not migrant bashing by any means in case anyone gets the wrong idea.

[Lico]

Came back from Paris a couple of days ago. No shortage of anything in shops or markets over there?
In Tesco, Iceberg lettuce is now imported from California so will be more expensive.
Sprouts and parsnips are in season so best to get those.

[Anononoo]

Spinach locally has gone IP 300% prob to do with brexit. .(joke)

[Kahuna]

I do know that they are "seasonal" and this is not their traditional "season" but I have NEVER been in a supermarket at any time of year and not been able to get lettuce or tomatoes....

[Kahuna]

I was in Morrison's earlier today and not a shred of lettuce or tomatoes of any variety in sight - no explanation why. Thought it was odd.

[TizzyDongue]

There was a sign up in the shop I was in today explaining there were certain vegetables in short supply due to adverse whether constitutions (I paraphrase - I had thought of taking a picture if the sign to help me remember - for unrelated MN reasons - wish I had now).