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A vegetable shelf in a British supermarket: Tomatoes used to be here
Photo Credit: IMAGO/Hesther Ng / IMAGO/ZUMA Wire
Anyone currently shopping at the British supermarket chain Asda may have to limit themselves.
There is currently a limit of three per product for tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, lettuce bags, broccoli, cauliflower and raspberries.
Aldi UK and Tesco followed suit with restrictions on Wednesday, according to the BBC.
The broadcaster Sky News reported that the largest British tomato grower APS Produce warned of shortages until at least the end of April.
Is there a similar bottleneck in Germany?
The overview.
Why are fruits and vegetables becoming scarce in the UK?
Although the UK is largely self-sufficient in the summer, the country typically imports 95 per cent of its tomatoes and 90 per cent of its lettuce from December to March, according to the Association of British Retailers (BCR).
And for products such as tomatoes and peppers, difficult weather in Spain and Morocco literally ruined the harvests.
Greenhouses in Great Britain and the Netherlands also produced less this winter due to increased energy costs.
Tomatoes in particular, which are usually imported from Spain or Morocco in winter, are apparently in short supply.
Harvests there were recently affected by a cold spell that followed unusually warm weather.
According to the National Farmers Union (NFU), the British also have increasing concerns about food from domestic production: because of increased costs, trade hurdles caused by Brexit and a lack of staff.
For tomatoes and cucumbers, for example, the association expects production to fall to its lowest level since 1985.
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How is the situation in Germany?
The extreme weather conditions in Southern Europe and North Africa are also having an impact in Germany.
"Far fewer vegetables are currently coming from Spain than is usual at this time of year," says Rudolf Behr, for example.
With 4,000 hectares of cultivation area, his company is one of the largest German vegetable producers and supplies almost all food retailers and discounters.
The reason for the lower supply: It has been unusually cold in Spain for about two weeks.
This slows down growth in lettuce, kohlrabi, pointed cabbage and celery.
In November and December, on the other hand, it was warmer in Spain than usual in these months.
The result: "The vegetables grew far too quickly, there was an oversupply on the market," says Behr, but also emphasizes that there will always be fluctuations in quantities like these.
Since these are fresh goods, the vegetables cannot be stored.
Is there a purchase limit on fruit and vegetables?
Even if the supply is currently rather scarce, "the shelves in Germany remain well stocked," says producer Behr.
Retailers themselves are also giving the all-clear on the issue of the shortage of fruit and vegetables.
Aldi, for example, announced that there were no problems with the supply.
Rewe says: »There are enough tomatoes to buy.
Also in the future.
The supply disruption in the procurement market is currently affecting the range of available varieties and the resulting market prices." The Schwarz Group, parent company of Lidl and Kaufland, reports: "The branches are supplied daily and there are sufficient stocks in the logistics centers available.« Edeka assures: »We can continue to ensure the supply of our markets with sufficient quantities.«
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When it comes to organic food, on the other hand, producers and retailers are "relaxed," says Peter Röhrig, Managing Director of the Bund Ökologische Lebensmittelwirtschaft (BÖLW): "There is currently nothing to suggest that there will be bottlenecks with organic fruit and vegetables," after all there are with organic products Contracts are often long-term, and the supply chains are also more regional and seasonal.
"Organic is less prone to failure," says Röhrig.
What are the consequences for consumers?
So the good news is that nobody wants to talk about a shortage of vegetables on German supermarket shelves.
Also, as producer Behr explains, because a tight supply for retailers means that prices for consumers are rising.
“Then they buy less, which regulates supply and demand,” says Behr.
The frozen food brand Frosta also complains about increased prices due to poor harvests: "That's why peppers, for example, are very scarce and expensive," says company boss Felix Ahlers.
The severe drought is affecting the vegetables.
Onions and potatoes have therefore also become more expensive.
"We often can't pass on to our customers the prices that we are sometimes supposed to pay in purchasing," says Ahlers.
The good news also contains bad news for consumers: the scarce supply of vegetables for the German food retail trade is reflected in empty wallets instead of empty shelves.
Significantly higher prices are currently being asked for vegetables, says Michael Koch, Head of Horticulture at Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft (AMI).
This is also related to the cool weather in growing areas in Spain, Morocco and Italy.
But vegetables that come from stock in Germany are also more expensive.
According to AMI, a kilogram of carrots still cost 85 cents in January 2022, and 1.24 euros in January 2023 – an increase of 46 percent.
Stored goods such as Chinese cabbage, white cabbage and onions also became more expensive year-on-year.
These products were rather cheap in January 2022 after a very good harvest in 2021, says Koch.
In 2022, however, the harvest was worse, and there are correspondingly fewer goods in stock.
The reasons for the higher price are in production, says Koch: "Price movements can be extreme."
