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Retailers blamed as supermarket shelves empty again

Philip Case 21 February 2023
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© Magicbones/Adobe Stock© Magicbones/Adobe Stock

Photos of empty supermarket shelves have once again surfaced on social media over the weekend, with farming organisations warning that there could be worse to come.

Since last autumn, consumers have faced egg shortages after high costs and low farmgate prices forced producers to scale back production.

The NFU convened an emergency press conference in December and president Minette Batters warned the UK government that other sectors could soon be under threat by a lack of fairness for farmers and growers throughout the supply chain.

See also: Food prices: Why farmers get the smallest share and how to change it

Over the weekend, frustrated shoppers posted photos of empty supermarket shelves taken at stores across the UK, demanding answers from retailers about why it is happening.

Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and other fruit and veg seem to be among the foods most affected.

In a video posted on his Twitter page, Merseyside grower Olly Harrison blamed the food shortages of products such as tomatoes and cucumbers on supermarkets and processors not paying producers a fair enough price to cover their rising costs of production. 

NFU vice-president David Exwood said: “We are repeatedly seeing a predictable combination of factors such as energy costs and weather leading to empty supermarket shelves. Our UK food resilience is currently gone. The government needs to take this seriously.

“Producers must have the confidence they need, working within a fair and transparent supply chain, ensuring fair and sustainable returns so they can do what they do best; produce nutritious, high quality British food to meet demand from shoppers.”

Liz Webster, a farmer’s wife and spokeswoman for the Save British Farming lobby group, has been warning about food shortages for almost two years.

“There has been wilful destruction of our food security by this government. They led us to believe that we could import all of our food and all farmers know this is wrong-headed,” she said.

“The planet itself is showing all the things we warned about. There is the impact of climate change and the Ukraine war. Both China and North Korea are complicating the geopolitical situation.

“Any sensible government would have reverted back to the plan we had after the Second World War and made sure there is enough food to feed our country.”

Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, said: “Difficult weather conditions in the south of Europe and northern Africa have disrupted harvest for some fruit and vegetables, including tomatoes.

“However, supermarkets 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.”

A Defra spokesperson said: “The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain and is well equipped to deal with a range of market fluctuations.

“We remain in close contact with the fruit and vegetable industry to respond to emerging issues quickly and effectively.”

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