Lidl GB joined market leader Tesco TSCO.L and Asda, Morrisons and Aldi in setting limits on customer purchases of tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers, after supplies across the retail sector supermarkets were affected by crop disruptions in southern Europe and northern Africa due to adverse weather conditions.
Lidl stated that they still have a good variety in most of their stores, but that demand has increased recently.
The crisis has been exacerbated by reduced winter production in greenhouses in the UK and the Netherlands due to high energy costs, and images of empty fruit and vegetable shelves in supermarkets have flooded social media.
Spencer said the crisis showed how dependent the UK can be on certain trade routes for some types of food.
“I know families expect the fresh produce they need to be on the shelves when they go to do their weekly grocery shopping. So I’m calling on supermarket managers to find out what they’re doing to get the shelves stocked again and to outline how we can prevent this from happening again,” he said in a statement.
Last week, Therese Coffey, Minister for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, warned that the shortage could last up to another month.
