// Farming minister Mark Spencer has summoned supermarket bosses in a desperate bid to solve the recent fruit and veg shortages
// This comes as supermarkets introduce purchasing limits on affected products
Supermarket bosses are set to meet farming minister Mark Spencer in a desperate bid to solve the recent fruit and vegetable shortages.
Some grocers have even introduced restrictions on sales of affected products over growing concerns the dwindling supply of fresh produce may last a while.
Spencer, who has summoned bosses from all major chains, said: “I know families expect the fresh produce they need to be on the shelves when they go for their weekly shop.
“That is why I am calling in supermarket chiefs to get shelves stocked again and to outline how we can avoid a repeat of this.”
Subscribe to Retail Gazette for free
Sign up here to get the latest news straight into your inbox each morning
Aldi, Asda, Morrisons and Tesco have all introduced purchasing limits on the affected items, which include cucumbers, lettuce, peppers and tomatoes, after supply was hit by a wave of poor weather in southern Spain and Morocco.
Last week, the National Farmers Union (NFU) warned the current supply shortages may be “the tip of the iceberg”.
Deputy president Tom Bradshaw told Times Radio the UK was vulnerable to the effects of unexpected weather abroad because of its dependence on imports.
He added: “We’ve been warning about this moment for the past year.”
British turnips even sold out at several supermarkets following comments from environment secretary Thérèse Coffey who urged consumers to eat them amid the fruit and veg shortage.
Click here to sign up to Retail Gazette‘s free daily email newsletter
