By Sahra Sancar and Giulia Zanatta.
Local shoppers in the Islington area have faced shortages in fresh fruit and vegetables in budget supermarkets like Lidl and Aldi making it harder for them to eat a healthy balanced diet. The current cost of living crisis pushed inflation to nearly 11% back in October making prices rise across all industries in the UK, especially those in supermarkets.
Back in February and March supermarket giants, like Asda and Morrisons began limiting the quantity of fresh fruits and vegetables consumers could buy to ratio the little stock they had left. The gap in fresh foods has rolled over into April with the stock still in short supply at times.
As a result of fresh produce shortages, it has made it harder for residents to eat healthy meals while living on a budget. Local resident, Chloe Emerson, 23, voiced her worries: “Eating healthy is very important to me so when I can’t find any fresh fruit, it makes it very difficult to do that. I can’t afford to go to other shops, so I have to just do without.”
Saskia Baron, 25, also shares the same view: “I find it very unpredictable when I go food shopping, sometimes I can find what I want and sometimes I can’t. I think there are multiple factors that made this happen, not being part of the EU is the first, also the climate change … the weather much more unpredictable.”
Why are there food shortages?
The availability of certain fresh fruit and vegetables available is currently down by 30% and 40%, leading to empty shelves in stores. Wholesale prices increased sharply which raised food prices in supermarkets.
Bad weather is one of the current reasons behind the food shortage in the UK. Spain, the Netherlands, and Morocco which are major exporters to Britain are currently experiencing colder weather and unpredictable rain. This means fewer courgettes on your shelves.
Jonathan Macleod, 47, said “Sometimes in the supermarket, I cannot find all the items that I want to have in my fridge, and the quality of them is not so good. Obviously, this is because we are importing from other countries and the EU mainly. But I think this is because it takes a long time to arrive here in the UK.”
Which countries do we import our fruit and vegetable from?
- Apples mainly come from the USA
- Sugar snap peas travel from Guatemala
- Asparagus is imported from Peru
- Grapes are grown in Chile
- Strawberries, broccoli, lemons, and tomatoes are picked in Spain
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