20 February 2023 , 14:57
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Morrisons has explained why it has been struggling to stock tomatoes over the last few weeks.
Whether you're a fan of vine, cherry, plum, piccolo or salad, you might have noticed there's been a severe lack of tomatoes on supermarket shelves so far in 2023.
Shoppers have taken to social media to complain about their struggles in trying to buy the salad staple.
Morrisons appears to be the only supermarket so far to put up signs addressing the lack of tomatoes, although shoppers at other supermarkets say they've struggled to find tomatoes in different stores too.
Other fresh produce said to be in short supply includes strawberries and peppers.
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One Twitter user @FelicityRead shared that there was not a "single tomato to be found" in Cheltenham over the weekend.
They wrote: "In Cheltenham early Saturday evening I tried to get tomatoes in Morrisons, Tesco, Sainsbury's all two Co-ops. Not a single tomato to be found."
Another user @justanotherdawn added that they had found it difficult to pick some up over the last few weeks.
They tweeted: "They've been very scarce over the last week or two, and most supermarkets this week have had zero tomatoes on the shelves.
"There's not a single one to be had in any of the shops where I live."
Another shopper @PatrickJervis shared an image of a bare-shelved Tesco and said they had to go to five different supermarket chains to pick up some fresh tomatoes.
He wrote: "Had to visit no less than five stores before I could find a packet of fresh tomatoes.
"I hear this is caused by crop failures, so assume it is the same all over Europe and not just a UK problem....."
@PatrickJervis was not too far off the reason for the shortage with Morrisons clarifying the reason for the shortage and warning that it could last longer.
In one of its stores, the supermarket has placed a sign in the fruit and vegetable section.
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The note said: "Availability across our tomato range has been significantly impacted by adverse weather conditions across Spain and Morocco,
"The current shortage is likely to improve within a couple of weeks."
According to the Fresh Produce Journal, a "perfect storm" of flooding and heavy rain, cold temperatures and cancelled ferries have caused major supply problems in Moroccan tomatoes.
The supply from Spain has also been affected by the weather, with stocks from Almeria down 22% during a three-week period compared to last year.
The problem has been ongoing for the past three to four weeks.
Whilst issues with tomato exports from abroad are to blame for the current tomato shortage, problems with tomato farming in the UK are also significant.
Rising energy costs are impacting tomato produce as growers are struggling to afford to heat the greenhouses in which they are grown.
UK tomato production today is usually reliant on greenhouses being heated to 20 degrees.
British Tomato Growers Association (BGTA) spokeswoman Julie Woolley told The Grocer that wholesale gas prices affect all tomato growers and that availability of the fruit is currently a "global issue".
Morrisons told Mirror Money that it's stance was aligned with the industry comment from the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
Andrew Opie, director of food & sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, said: “Difficult weather conditions in the South of Europe and Northern Africa have disrupted harvest for some fruit and vegetables including tomatoes.
"However, retailers 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.”