Tesco joins Aldi in rationing fruit and vegetables over supply shortages

Four of UK’s biggest supermarkets now limiting how many items customers can buy as shelves emptied

Tesco has joined other supermarkets in limiting sales of certain fruit and vegetables as shortages have left shelves stripped bare.

Britain’s biggest supermarket has introduced a cap of three items per customer on tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers.

Aldi, Asda and Morrisons have already started restricting the totals each customer is allowed after extreme weather hit harvests abroad.

Asda has introduced a customer limit of three on tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, salad bags, broccoli, cauliflower and raspberries.

A combination of bad weather and transport problems in Africa and Europe has left supermarket shelves left bare of tomatoes, and stocks of some other fresh produce have dwindled.

But one farming group blamed the government and Brexit for worsening Britain’s food shortages.

Government critics say a shortage of labour since the UK left the EU has exaggerated supply hold-ups.

Growers blame a combination of rising transportation costs in line with fuel price hikes, and inflation pushing up prices for seeds, fertiliser and feed.

Costs of checking seeds entering the UK for viruses have also risen.

Tesco said it was working hard with its suppliers to ensure a good supply of vegetables.

Other supermarkets are understood to be considering similar temporary measures.

Empty fruit and vegetable shelves at an Asda in east London (PA)

Environment secretary Therese Coffey was booed as she refused to accept that market failure had led to the shortages.

She told farmers “we can’t control the weather in Spain” when confronted with the news that supermarkets were limiting sales of fruit and vegetables.

It is understood that retailers believe the problems stem from poor yields on the continent and north Africa, and that supplies will improve in the coming days or weeks.

UK producers say they have planted produce later to reduce their use of energy to warm greenhouses because of higher electricity prices.

An Aldi spokeswoman said: “We are limiting purchases of peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes to three units per person to ensure that as many customers as possible can buy what they need.”

Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, which represents UK supermarkets, said: “While disruption is expected to last a few weeks, supermarkets are adept at managing supply chain issues and are working with farmers to ensure that customers are able to access a wide range of fresh produce.”