UK is short of salad crops and citrus fruits after cold spell in Med

theguardian.com:

Supermarkets are facing shortages of salad crops, including tomatoes, peppers, lettuce and cucumbers, as well as broccoli and citrus fruits amid cold weather in producing countries such as Spain and Morocco.

Shoppers complained on social media about low stocks, particularly of peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers, as importers said supplies had been affected by a mixture of unseasonable weather and storms in the Mediterranean combined with a reduction in the amount of crops planted in heated glass houses in the Netherlands as energy bills have soared.

Two big importers said they were managing to fulfil contracts to their main supermarket clients but had been forced to lower quality specifications, find alternative sources of supply or offer a limited range of options since the chilly weather started in January.

Industry insiders said availability of produce is down by between 30% and 40% on some crops. Wholesale prices have also shot up adding to inflation in stores as well as empty shelves.

The harvest of peppers was down 70% in Spain and cucumbers by up to 50% in the country’s Almería region, according to the catering supplier Reynolds’ latest crop report.

Market prices for tomatoes are two to three times normal levels, the boss of Nationwide Produce, Tim O’Malley, told the Fresh Produce Journal. “The biggest issue we now have as an industry is not inflation, it’s mother nature. She’s wiping the floor with inflation,” he said.

At this time of year Murcia in Spain produces an estimated 80% of many salad and vegetable crops sold in the UK. UK production does not usually begin until late March or April.

Italy, Morocco and elsewhere in north Africa are seen often used as an alternatives, but these areas have also had cold weather in