Shoppers are set to face tomato shortages in the supermarkets due to a cocktail of supply issues in the UK and abroad.
Soaring energy and input costs – hitting UK production in greenhouses – have been inflamed by a tightening in supply from key exporters Spain and the Netherlands, alongside delays at the UK border due to congestion at Dover and an export ban by Morocco during Ramadan, growers have suggested.
While there is little current evidence of wide-scale tomato shortages in the mults, some shoppers have complained on social media about fewer options this week.
The challenges have already pushed up tomato prices, suggests Mintec analysis, which this month found the average wholesale price of cherry tomatoes in the UK rose by 58% year on year in March, reaching an average of £3.83/kg.
As reported a fortnight ago by The Grocer, the rising cost of production (and fuel in particular) has led half of the UK’s glasshouses to be left empty by growers unable to afford heating them to the 20 degrees Celsius required for optimum production conditions.
This issue had also affected the tomato sector, claimed the British Tomato Growers’ Association, which this week said “several” key tomato farmers had reduced or delayed planting their crop.
“Wholesale gas prices impact all growers and tomato availability is a global issue,” said BTGA spokeswoman Julie Woolley.
The UK imports about 80% of its tomatoes, mostly from the Netherlands and Spain. Many growers in the two countries had either planted late or not at all, according to Lea Valley Growers Association secretary Lee Stiles – with Spanish crops also affected by recent strike action.
That situation had only been “exacerbated by shortages of commodity tomatoes out of Morocco, with recent restrictions limiting what can be exported from that country over the past few weeks”, added Woolley.
Morocco has restricted exports to ease a surge in local prices ahead of Ramadan as the fruit is a key ingredient of national cuisine and fast-breaking meals.
Stiles added that he had recently visited an Essex grower who had planted two months later than usual due to the high energy prices. “They will not be picking for another week or so,” he said.
“And many tomato growers have not planted at all, including [one that farmed] 50 acres in Suffolk, so British produce will be down significantly on previous years.”
Mintec forecast the tight supply situation was set to continue in the short term, resulting in potentially more price inflation over the coming weeks.
It also noted that fast food chain McDonalds had recently introduced rationing of tomatoes of one slice instead of two on some burger options.
However, the BTGA’s Wooley stressed British supplies were expected to improve by May and June.
“Ultimately, the drive here is to enable UK growers to produce more tomatoes for our own market, enabling us to invest in long-term plans around sustainable green energy solutions,” said Woolley.
“We know that we can provide the best quality, and best tasting tomatoes for our own local market, and we urge consumers to continue seeking out British grown tomatoes at their local retailers.”
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