Lidl has become the latest supermarket to introduce buying limits for customers on certain fruit and vegetables in stores.
The discount German supermarket joins Asda, Morrisons, Tesco, and Aldi in rationing food items after bad weather in Europe and Africa disrupted supplies.
In a statement, Lidl said the move had been made due to an "increase in demand" for the items and it wanted to make sure that all customers have access to the products.
However, it said it still had "good availability" of the items across its UK stores.
Shoppers in the UK have struggled to buy a number of fresh food items over the last few weeks and supermarkets shelves are currently bare in some stores.
The reason for these industry-wide gaps on shelves has been due to disruptions in the supply chain.
If you can't see the poll above, click here
Suppliers in Morocco and Spain have had to contend with cold temperatures, heavy rain, and flooding over the past three to four weeks.
The severe weather conditions have then had a knock-on effect on the ferries which transport the food as these were also cancelled due to bad weather.
In the UK, farmers are heated greenhouses less due to spiralling energy costs.
Each affected supermarket has issued statements on any food limits being imposed, including Lidl, Tesco, Asda and Aldi.
Here is everything you need to know on which supermarkets have imposed fruit and veg rationing.
Full list of fruits and vegetables being rationed
Morrisons has introduced a limit of two items per customer across these foods:
- Tomatoes
- Cucumbers
- Lettuce
- Peppers
Asda has started rationing customers to just three of these products:
- Tomatoes
- Peppers
- Cucumbers
- Lettuce
- Salad (bagged)
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Raspberries
The products limited in Aldi to three per customer are:
- Peppers
- Cucumbers
- Tomatoes
Tesco now has a three per person limit on:
- Peppers
- Cucumbers
- Tomatoes
Lidl was the most recent supermarket to put a three item buying limit for the following items:
- Peppers
- Cucumbers
- Tomatoes
It isn't clear how long these limits will remain in place for although experts had warned it could last until May.
Minette Batters, the head of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), told Sky News today: “Everybody wants to avoid rationing, effectively, which is what we saw with eggs in December.”
She explained how UK supermarkets would however continue to face challenges in getting some food items.
She added that the “last thing anybody wants to do is to create a level of panic buying”.
Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, with represents UK supermarkets, said: "Difficult weather conditions in the south of Europe and northern Africa have disrupted harvest for some fruit and vegetables including tomatoes.
"However, supermarkets are adept at managing supply chain issues and are working with farmers to ensure that customers are able to access a wide range of fresh produce."
