23 February 2023 , 07:37
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Supermarkets have issued statements about the current fruit and vegetable shortage in their stores.
Morrisons and Asda announced on Tuesday that they will limit the number of certain fresh food items customers can purchase in their stores.
Aldi and Tesco followed suit yesterday (Wednesday) by also imposing restrictions on some fruits and vegetables.
The products affected by the current limits at these stores include tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, raspberries and lettuces.
Other supermarket chains have not followed suit however it is expected that some will over the coming few days.
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The shortages are due to cold weather affecting suppliers in Spain and Morocco, which has meant tomatoes are taking longer to grow.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said shortages were expected to last a few weeks until the UK growing season begins and retailers found alternative suppliers.
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Morrisons
On Tuesday, Morrisons announced it was putting a limit of two per item for the following products:
- Tomatoes
- Cucumbers
- Lettuce
- Peppers
The new rules came in at all its stores from Wednesday, February 22.
The supermarket said it was "supportive" of the British Retail Consortium's comment on the situation.
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 and peppers.
"While disruption is expected to last a few weeks, 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. In the meantime, some stores are introducing temporary limits on the number of products customers can buy to ensure availability for everyone.”
Asda
Asda has also introduced a limit of three each per customer of the following items:
- Tomatoes
- Peppers
- Cucumbers
- Lettuce,
- Salad bags,
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Raspberries
An Asda spokesperson said: “Like other supermarkets, we are experiencing sourcing challenges on some products that are grown in southern Spain and north Africa.
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“We have introduced a temporary limit of three of each product on a very small number of fruit and vegetable lines, so customers can pick up the products they are looking for.”
Aldi
Aldi told Mirror Money it has now introduced a three per person limit on the following items:
- Peppers
- Cucumbers
- Tomatoes
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.”
Tesco
Tesco today revealed it is introducing a three per person limit on these foods:
- Peppers
- Cucumbers
- Tomatoes
Co-op
A spokesman for The Co-Op told Mirror Money that it has "no plans" to introduce buying limits of fruit and vegetables at this time.
Sainsbury's
Sainsbury's told Mirror Money that it currently does not have any buying limits on products.
Lidl
German discounter Lidl told The Sun said it doesn't currently have plans to put limits in place.
Marks and Spencer
Marks and Spencers have said they will not be introducing limits as it has been able to "mitigate" the impact through different supplier routes.
A Marks and Spencer spokesperson told Mirror Money: "Whilst we are not immune from the challenges facing the whole industry, we have been able to mitigate the impact through alternative supply routes."
Waitrose
Waitrose told Mirror Money that it was monitoring the situation but it has no plans on introducing buying limits in its stores.