Fruit and vegetable growers warn that shortages could last longer than expected and continue for up to three months.
Major UK supermarkets are placing limits on sales of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and salads – among other products – to combat the problems.
The Lea Valley Growers Association said several growers were delaying planting due to rising energy costs.
“Most tomatoes, peppers and aubergines won’t arrive in large volumes until May, so it will take more than a few weeks,” Secretary Lee Stiles told the BBC.
‘Some Lea Valley packing houses have closed for a few days due to lack of deliveries, and others are losing workers as they could only offer three hours of work a day instead of full shifts in recent weeks.’
The Lea Valley Growers Association includes around 80 members from Greater London, Hertfordshire and Essex. Its growers supply around three-quarters of the UK’s cucumbers and peppers.
Bad weather in Spain and Africa was blamed for the shortages, but the Association said producers delaying planting made the situation worse.
“It’s too late for UK producers to step in and try to make up some of the shortfall,” added Stiles.
“If we planted tomatoes, peppers and eggplants in December, we would be harvesting now.
‘And if we planted cucumbers in the first week of January, as we normally do, we would be harvesting on Valentine’s Day as usual.’
While the government said yesterday that the supply issues should be resolved within a month, Stiles thinks it will take longer.
He warned that overseas producers are likely to sell locally first when their crops are back on track, to get a higher price for their produce while avoiding fuel costs and border fees.
Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey told Commons: ‘I am led to believe by my staff, after discussion with industry and retailers, we anticipate that the situation will last for another two to four weeks.
‘It is important that we try to secure alternative supply options. For this reason, the department has already been talking to shopkeepers.
‘That’s why there will be more discussions led by ministers too, so that we can try to get through this and try to avoid similar situations in the future.
“Even if we cannot control the weather, it is important that we try to ensure that supplies are not frustrated in the same way that they were due to these unusual weather incidents.”
She later added: ‘I hope this is a temporary issue.’
Mrs. Coffey also suggested that people “enjoy the specialties we have in this country” by eating seasonal vegetables like turnips.
MPs rejected claims that Brexit was responsible for the shortage.
Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer said ‘food security is national security’ and that his party would commit to ‘buying, making and selling more in Britain’.
Experts told Metro.co.uk about the reasons behind the shortages people are seeing in supermarkets this week.
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