Fruit and vegetable prices could be sent “sky high” by the current wave of shortages, an expert has warned.
Clive Black, a top analyst at broker Shore Capital, said bad weather in Spain, where a lot of our produce comes from at this time of year, had come at a low point in the UK’s growing season.
It has resulted in a “perfect storm leading to sky-high prices for tomatoes and cucumbers,” said Mr Black.
He echoed warnings that restrictions to supplies could drag on for “weeks.”
It came as Tesco along with discount supermarket Aldi joined rivals Asda and Morrisons in rationing certain produce.
An Aldi spokesperson said: “We are limiting purchases of peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes to three units per person to ensure that as many customers as possible can buy what they need.”
Aldi and Tesco today brought in a limit of three items per customer on tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers.
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Asda has already put a limit of three items each on packs of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, salad bags, broccoli, cauliflower and raspberries.
Morrisons today introduced limits of two for packs of tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and peppers from today.
But while some big stores have empty shelves in the fresh food aisles, others shops are fully stocked.
Tom Hagon, co-owner of family-run Bristol greengrocer Reg The Veg, said: “I am able to purchase the stock, but at a cost.”
He said the prices of salad items was the highest in his 17 years in the trade.
“Prices, especially from mid-January, have been on the increase,” Mr Hagon explained. “But that is not uncommon at this time of year because we are waiting for Dutch stock to come through.”
His concern is delays in those supplies arriving next month if growers in Holland are reluctant to heat their greengrocers because of punishingly high energy costs.
“We try to absorb some of the increases but if it goes on you have to put your prices up,” he said, adding that supermarkets were largely unwilling to pay higher prices for fear of alienating customers.
Yosef Azizi, owner of Preston Market stall Super Veg, said it had yet to up its prices.
“We have plenty of stock but the prices we’re paying are dear,” he said.
Environment Secretary Therese Coffey told farmers today “we can’t control the weather in Spain” when confronted with the news that supermarkets are limiting sales of fruit and vegetables.
In her speech to delegates at the National Farmers’ Union conference in Birmingham, she stressed the need for biosecurity but left the conference hall before discussing the supermarket shortages.
Replying to Ms Coffey’s comments about the weather, NFU president Minette Batters, said: “No, but we can be encouraging these guys to be producing here and I’m conscious that’s something that we really need to hone in on.”
