A supermarket shortage has left fruit and vegetable aisles up and down the UK looking 'desolate' - and it's not set to improve for at least a couple of weeks. Supermarkets have been unable to stock tomatoes, strawberries and peppers due to a supply shortage, which some shoppers have described as "unacceptable".
Andrew Opie, the director of food at the British Retail Consortium said that the shortage is due to weather conditions in the south of Europe and northern Africa.
He 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."
Pictures from several supermarkets in the UK show empty shelves on the fruit and veg aisle. In some Morrisons stores empty shelves were accompanied by a sign that said the shortage was 'likely to improve within a couple of weeks'.
A sign in an Edinburgh store read: "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."
Several people have taken to social media to complain about the shortage with one saying it is "not good enough" and just "unacceptable".
One unhappy customer said: "I'm sorry Tesco, this is not good enough in your Dalmarnock store on a Friday afternoon. Lots more shelves with empty boxes throughout the store. Rising prices are bad enough, but lack of basic foodstuffs is unacceptable."
Another said: "Is there a green/red/yellow pepper shortage? Been to 2-3 different supermarkets over the last few days and veg aisles look desolate, particularly salad veg."
