Supermarkets across the UK are currently being hit with major tomato and pepper shortages, with many shelves lying bare in stores throughout Glasgow.
During the winter months the majority of the vegetables are imported from the south of Spain and Morocco, however, the Spanish crops have struggled with surprisingly cold weather and Morocco has been struck by flooding.
Glasgow Live reporter, Keiran Fleming, decided to see how difficult purchasing a pepper or tomato really is and visited five shops in the city.
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My first visit was to the Morrison's in Anniesland.
I quickly ushered myself to the fruit and vegetables section where I was met with a tomato section understandably lacking in variety.
However, the shelves were not completely void of any of the desired veggies, there was still a small selection on display
A sign perfectly explained to the public why the shelves were bare and revealed that store limited customers to two purchases from across the range available
.
Asda Bearsden was next on my list of shops to visit.
The lack of tomatoes on offer here was far more shocking. All that seemed to be left was the small packaged cherry type.
The store limited customers to three purchases per person but if you planned on buying your larger variations you were out of luck.
However, the peppers seemed to be healthily stocked which was a positive sign.
After my fleeting visit to Asda I took myself to Waitrose in Milngavie to see if the more costly supermarket brand had been hit by the shortage.
If you are desperate for tomatoes and peppers Waitrose is not the place for you. The shelves were practically empty, with just a scattering of the rare vegetables.
Unlike a majority of the other stores the tomato section was looking far livelier than the pepper section. I also couldn't spot a sign that limited purchases for customers, however, there was a label that explained the shortage of stock.
A walk across the road took me to Aldi.
After a walk around the fruit and veg section I had to ask a member of staff if they sold tomatoes and peppers, they informed me about the shortage and showed me where they would be.
All that was left in the tomato section was a random cuddly sloth sat in a basket. It seems as though customers swarmed the store and stocked up on the veggies.
However, pepper lovers would be in their element with the vegetable currently in stock.
Final stop on my hunt for the sought after vegetables was Tesco in Milngavie and this store was the best stocked by far.
It was still clearly impacted by the shortages, with some baskets left completely empty, but there was a variety on display.
Both loose and packaged tomatoes were up for sale and the pepper section still looked fully stocked. Customers are currently limited to just three purchases across the range.
It is believed that the shortage may only last for a few weeks as supermarkets wait for the UK growing season to start and they source other suppliers.
But in the meantime if you are desperate for tomatoes or peppers it seems as though a trip Tesco in Milngavie may be necessary.
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