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Fruit and vegetable shortages in supermarkets are \u201cthe tip of the iceberg\u201d, the National Farmers\u2019 Union has warned. Deputy president Tom Brad-shaw said reliance on imports has left the UK vulnerable to \u201cshock weather events\u201d.<\/p>\n
Soaring energy bills exacerbated by the war in Ukraine have also put off some vegetable growers, he added.<\/p>\n
He said the UK has now \u201chit a tipping point\u201d and needs to \u201ctake command of the food we produce\u201d amid \u201cvolatility around
the world\u201d caused by the war in Europe and climate change.<\/p>\n
It comes as the shortage of tomatoes in UK supermarkets has widened to other fruit and vegetables due to a combination of bad weather and transport problems in Africa and Europe.<\/p>\n
Mr Bradshaw said: \u201cWe\u2019ve been warning about this moment for the past year. The tragic events in Ukraine have driven inflation, particularly energy inflation, to levels that we haven\u2019t seen before.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lack of confidence from growers that they\u2019re going to get the returns that justify planting their glasshouses.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got a lot of glasshouses that would be growing tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and aubergines, that are sitting there empty.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been completely reliant on imports. And when there\u2019s been some shock weather events in Morocco and Spain, it\u2019s meant we\u2019ve had these shortages.\u201d<\/p>\n
Major growers have warned the shortages of tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber, peppers, broccoli, and raspberries could last until May, with leeks, carrots, cabbage, and cauliflower to have purchase limits within weeks.<\/p>\n
It came after Environment Secretary Th\u00e9r\u00e8se Coffey suggested households should eat seasonal British vegetables like turnips instead last Thursday, prompting stores to sell out of turnip stocks within 24 hours.<\/p>\n
And a consumer expert has revealed a list of readily-available substitutes for popular fruit and vegetables that will allow people to continue getting their five-a-day without breaking the bank.<\/p>\n
Richard Price, director of online supermarket Britsuperstore, said substituting kale, cabbage or
spinach for lettuce would deliver similar nutritional benefits.<\/p>\n
He said tinned tomatoes are easier to get hold of than fresh ones and root vegetables such as carrots have a similar texture when cooked. \u201cTomatoes are high in vitamin C and potas-sium.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re looking for similar nutrition, try adding extra plums or peas to your diet. If you\u2019re struggling to find raspberries, gently simmer thin slices of rhubarb in sugar-infused water.\u201d<\/p>\n