UK supermarkets have started rationing selected fruit and vegetables as supply issues leave shelves empty across the country.
A combination of bad weather and transport problems in Africa and Europe has seen UK supermarket shelves left bare of tomatoes, as well as dwindling stocks of some other fresh produce.
And while former Sainsbury’s CEO Justin King acknowledged supply has been affected by poor weather abroad, he also said the sector had been “hurt horribly by Brexit”.
“North Kent, in Thanet, [had] the largest greenhouses in Europe, which used to be full of peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes,” he went on.
“But those greenhouses have suffered, really, from two big things. I hate to say it, but it’s a sector that’s been hurt horribly by Brexit.”
Asda has introduced a per-customer limit of three on tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, salad bags, broccoli, cauliflower and raspberries, and Morrisons said it would be introducing limits of two items per customer across tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and peppers from today.
Other supermarkets are understood to be considering similar temporary measures.
