This question has often been asked in recent days: why in British supermarkets a scarcity of fruits and vegetables? And why not in other countries? The explanation for this shortage of fruit and vegetables could lie in the unique supermarket culture of the United Kingdom.
The” fixed-price contracts” between retailers and suppliers ensure that, when food is scarce, some growers sell less to the UK and more to other countries of Europe.
The problem is “very difficult” to solve. It’s a strange competitive dynamic that originated in the UK and doesn’t occur anywhere else in the world. And I don’t really know why this has grown so much.
Prices in British supermarkets have remained stable regardless of supply. This means that growers can’t sell all their produce if they have too much stock or they don’t get enough incentives to grow more. When all of Europe groans under drought, supermarkets raise prices, but that doesn’t happen in the UK. And therefore, suppliers will then export their product to France, Germany or Ukraine.
The scarcity is evident in tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers, largely due to extreme weather conditions that delay the harvest in Spain and North Africa.
In addition, the shortage is exacerbated by high energy prices affecting UK growers and supply chain problems. Added to this is the frost expected in some parts of the UK, which could further reduce the availability of British crops.
