Large supermarkets in the United Kingdom (UK) limit fruit and vegetable sales per customer. Those who want to buy tomatoes, peppers or cucumbers at Tesco, Britain’s largest supermarket, will only get a limited number, he writes. BBC. Same goes for Aldi. The reason is the lack of vegetables and fruits. Other supermarkets ration lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower and berries.

The British government blames the shortage on cold and rainy weather this winter in Spain and Morocco. In winter, the UK imports 95 percent of its tomatoes and 90 percent of its lettuce from there. Higher energy prices also play a role. As a result, fewer fruits and vegetables are grown in greenhouses in the UK as well as in the Netherlands than before.

British retail watchdog BRC expects the shortage to last for a few weeks. After that, the growing season will begin again in the UK and supermarkets will find alternative supply lines.

Wholesalers are more pessimistic. “Most tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants won’t be available in bulk before May,” LVGA Wholesale says. against the BBC.

The company also says it’s not just high energy prices that is causing British gardeners to stop growing for a while. The lower prices offered by supermarkets will also be important.

Ten percent of British gardeners had stopped because British supermarkets were not willing to pay gardeners more money, despite the high costs of energy and fertilizer.

Of course, the question also arises whether leaving the European Union plays a role in the UK. Traders denied this to the BBC. This has in no way helped the British, says the European farmers’ organization Copa-Copega.

The supply of some vegetables is also limited in the Netherlands. This translates into higher prices, Veiling Zaltbommel director Gerard van den Anker told NOS.