Fresh Veggies Rationed By, Gone From UK Markets; Snow, Floods & Freeze In Southern Spain
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Some of the largest retailers are listing many popular vegetables as unavailable online in a bid to restrict supplies. Tesco stores are also posting notices capping the number of lettuces customers can buy to just three per person.
A spokesman for the supermarket said: "Due to bad weather conditions in Spain, we are experiencing some availability issues, but are working with our suppliers to resolve them as quickly as possible. "To make sure none of our customers miss out, we are asking them to limit the number of iceberg lettuces they buy to three." The shortage began with aubergines and courgettes in recent weeks and has now spread to other vegetables and salad items.
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Customers are facing shortages of iceberg lettuce, baby spinach, mixed leaves, rocket, lollo rossa, cauliflower, broccoli, peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes. There are fears that supplies of some citrus fruits could be hit next, and the shortages may also fuel a rise in prices.
Morrisons has also introduced a cap of three heads of broccoli and three iceberg lettuces to alleviate the issue, according to the Daily Mail. "As a result of the fact that the Spanish harvest has been very difficult this year, we have just about enough coming in to supply our customers," a spokesman told the paper.
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/02/03/no-three-lettuce-heads-supermarkets-tell-customers-extreme-weather/
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Many European countries rely on the Spanish regions of Murcia, Almeria and Valencia for the supply of these and other vegetables during the winter months. A shortage of zucchini, also called courgettes, caused by the same spell of bad weather recently prompted consumers to take to social media using the hashtag #courgettecrisis.
"Southern Spain is the bread basket for Europe in the winter," Anthony Gardiner of G's, a major supplier of fresh produce to supermarkets across Europe, told CNN. "It has its own micro-climate. It's warm and dry, almost desert-like."
But this winter has been different. "We've seen horrific weather on our farms in the Murcia region," Gardiner said. "Over four days just before Christmas, the region had the same amount of rainfall that London gets in six months. It was an absolute deluge, and a lot of crops were washed away."
A cold snap pushing across southern Europe over the New Year period compounded the problems. "We saw snow on the beaches in Murcia," Gardiner said. "In those conditions, the produce effectively stops growing. We're now seeing that starting to hit the shelves."
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http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/03/europe/lettuce-shortage-europe/