Supermarkets are expected to withdraw thousands of food varieties and flavours to ensure they can keep filling shelves when coronavirus reaches its peak.
Exotic foodstuffs and gourmet sauces will be first to be pared back, with stores focusing instead of delivering basic provisions with fewer brands or alternatives. Other measures to keep food flowing to the supermarkets may include allowing drivers to work longer shifts and drafting in military drivers if staff run short.
Environment Secretary George Eustice was holding talks with chief executives of supermarket chains this morning after a weekend of chaos as panic buyers stripped shelves of products such as dried pasta and toilet roll.
A Defra spokesman insisted there was no danger of Britain running out of food, despite borders closing on the Continent, where most imports come from, saying that 53 per cent of the nation’s food is home-grown. “We have a very reliable food supply stem, which we have gone through as part of our No-deal planning for Brexit,” he said. “There is no concern that we will be unable to get enough into the country.
“What we are focused on is ensuring food can get to the shops so that people can buy it, and how to get it to people who are self-isolating. In the meantime, we are urging people to pull together and help our neighbours.”
Bruno Monteyne, retail analyst at Bernstein, said some brands would vanish because supermarkets had to prepare for staff shortages in a few weeks’ time when staff fall sick.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “You can probably get 10 or 15 per cent productivity improvement out of simplifying the range.”
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