The boss of the Co-op has warned that current food shortages in supermarkets are at a 'worse level' than he has ever seen.
The retailer is one of a number that has been forced to reduce their range of some products as a result of disruption to supply.
Steve Murrells, chief executive of the Co-operative Group, said the retailer had done so in order to continue serving its customers.
He told the Times newspaper: “The shortages are at a worse level than at any time I have seen.”
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Mr Murrells said the disruption to supply has been driven by 'Brexit and issues caused by Covid'.
The firm is retraining staff as lorry drivers to help fill vacant roles.
Road haulage bosses have said there is a shortfall of around 100,000 drivers, partly caused by the exit from the UK during the pandemic of thousands of EU drivers who have not yet returned. Many supermarkets have reported distribution difficulties.
Industry groups have also said training for new drivers is taking months, making the shortfall in numbers difficult to resolve quickly. with a huge backlog of HGV driving tests.
Labour shortages, which have also affected meat packing and fruit picking jobs, have caused shops and fast food restaurants to struggle for stock.
Subway and McDonald’s are some of the latest victims of the shortages. The latter ran out of milkshakes in most of its UK restaurants due to the ongoing supply problems.
The fast food chain has also been left without bottled drinks across its 1,250 outlets in England, Scotland and Wales as the lorry driver shortage takes its toll.
A spokesman said the group is “working hard to return these items to the menu”.
It comes a week after restaurant chain Nando’s shut almost 50 restaurants because of reduced chicken supplies.
