Shoppers have been warned that they could face more empty shelves due to a collapse in the supply chain as retailers face increasing pressure to keep up with demands whilst tackling staffing problems.
Recently, a number of shops have been hit with a shortage of products, leaving customers unable to buy essential items.
Retails including Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsbury's and Lidl have received complaints from angry customers about the problem in-store and through social media.
Part of the reason behind the empty shelves is down to a number of factors including Brexit, a lack of HGV drivers and the pandemic - more recently the 'pingdemic', the Daily Record reports.
As a result, industry bosses are now warning customers that empty shelves could continue if the current staffing crisis isn't addressed.
Richard Burnett, chief executive of the Road Haulage Association, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "In the next two to three weeks we are facing a collapse of the supply chain meaning even bigger gaps on supermarket shelves.
"We already have hauliers unable to move goods on a daily basis and we’re now facing a perfect storm."
"This is a crisis on a scale we have never seen before in this industry and the Government is burying its head in the sand.
"It is not recognising the seriousness."
A spokeswoman for Morrisons told the BBC: "As per the whole of the UK, we are experiencing a rise in cases and close contact notifications."
"We provide guidance and support for colleagues who may need to self-isolate including sick pay and have covid secure controls in place in all our stores to ensure we can continue to operate and keep them open. Throughout the whole of the pandemic, we have not been required to close a store."
This isn't the only issue supermarkets are facing. Key workers are having to isolate meaning shops do not have enough staff to stock the shelves.
Despite the warning, customers are being urged not to panic buy with Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Lidl being just some of the stores to have responded to the complaints from customers, with supply shortages being caused by a mixture of circumstances.
The coronavirus pandemic has seen travel become extremely restricted, and haulage companies say European drivers have simply decided not to return to the UK due to covid and Brexit.
There is also understood to be a large backlog in HGV driver tests, again because of the pandemic, meaning it's been harder to get new drivers on the road.
According to Tesco, the lack of drivers is said to create 48 tonnes of food waste each week as fresh goods are being left to rot.
Finally, the reopening of shops means there is an increase in demand for some goods, which is adding to the need for drivers and deliveries.
More recently, there has also been rising numbers of staff - including manufacturers in factories and HGV drivers - having to stay home after being told to self-isolate.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has acknowledged industry-wide problems and said that the government need to make changes to ensure people who are fully vaccinated or have a negative test "are not forced to needlessly quarantine" when they are contacted by the app, according to the BBC.
BRC chief executive, Helen Dickinson, said: "We are already seeing a serious impact on retail operations as a result of staff having to self-isolate and this will only get worse right across the economy, as cases are already rising fast and the final restrictions are eased."
