The days of UK consumers being able to expect to pick up nearly whatever product they want, whenever they want from supermarket shelves are over, an industry expert has warned.
Ian Wright, chief executive of the Food and Drink Federation, said that a shortage of lorry drivers is in part due to them moving to online retailers and starting to deliver for Amazon and Tesco.
That's because these jobs often have better hours and pay, WalesOnline reports.
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The farm to fork supply chain is missing around half a million of the four million people that usually work in the sector.
Part of this will have come from EU nationals leaving the UK amid the pandemic and Brexit, he said.
Many businesses have reported huge issues in their supply chains in recent months, leaving some shop shelves empty, or forcing restaurants to remove items from their menus.
“It’s going to get worse, and it’s not going to get better after getting worse any time soon,” Mr Wright told listeners at an event organised by the Institute for Government.
He added: “The result of the labour shortages is that the just-in-time system that has sustained supermarkets, convenience stores and restaurants – so the food has arrived on shelf or in the kitchen, just when you need it – is no longer working.
“And I don’t think it will work again, I think we will see we are now in for permanent shortages. Now these shortages don’t mean that you’re going to run out of food.”
But like last week when most of the east of England ran out of bottled water supplies, suppliers will make decisions to prioritise products which give them higher margins.
“That’s a first world problem. Nobody’s going to be completely bereft if they can’t get bottled water,” Mr Wright said.
“But what is changing now is that the UK shopper and consumer could have previously have expected just about every product they want to be on a shelf or in the restaurant all the time.
“That’s over, and I don’t think it’s coming back.”
Tesco has said the problem is 'temporary'.
A spokesman said: "We have deliveries arriving at our stores every day, and while there's plenty to go around, we are experiencing some disruption due to an industry-wide shortage of HGV drivers.
"This has led to temporary low availability on some products but we're working hard to get shelves fully stocked."
Sainsbury's said: "We know there are some challenges with availability in some of our stores due to demand. We're working to replenish stock as quickly as we can to ensure our customers can get what they need."
Morrison's chief executive David Potts said: “Pet food has been quite short, as well as fizzy drinks, bottled water, crisps and some wines.”
He added: “We’re not immune, but we’re more in control of the train set.”
A spokesman for Lidl said: "Unfortunately, like a number of other retailers, there has been some disruption to our supply chain networks, which is currently affecting a very limited number of product lines. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and are doing all we can to resolve the issues as soon as possible and to minimise any impact to our customers."
