During the month of February 2023, judging by personal experience and those of other shoppers across the country, and further confirmed by images of empty supermarket shelves on television, in mainstream print media, and circulating on social media, there can be little doubt that there is a genuine shortage of certain fresh fruits and vegetables in Britain.
The initial response from domestic fruit and vegetable suppliers, at least some of them, is somewhat predictable and has numerous precedents. Shortages of agricultural commodities, whether caused by wars or natural catastrophes, are frequently handled by rationing. Some supermarket chains have indeed imposed purchase limits on customers on sales of certain items, including broccoli, cauliflowers, cucumbers, lettuce, peppers, tomatoes, and raspberries.
We find ourselves in this situation, at a time when these shortages apparently do not extend to most parts of continental Europe, for a variety of reasons. While there have been attempts to politicize the situation, and apportion much of the blame on Brexit, which has added to the bureaucracy and transport costs for agricultural exports from the EU, there are other reasons for the current shortages in Britain. The UK, as a whole, is a net importer of food, with the EU providing the lion’s share of fruit and vegetables. Local production of some vegetables is mostly seasonal, requiring imports to maintain round-the-year consumption. Higher electricity costs have made it more expensive to maintain gas-heated greenhouses, which extend the growing season, even as growers are further disincentivised by the low prices offered by supermarkets for their produce.
During the winter months, the UK imports most of its aubergines, courgettes, cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes and other fresh vegetables from Spain and Morocco. Reports indicate that unusually cold weather, characterised by ground frosts, hail, and snow, has curtailed production in southern Spain, while heavy rain and floods have destroyed crops in Morocco. Morocco has barred exports to neighbouring West African countries, while trying to keep domestic food prices down and protecting lucrative exports to western Europe, although storms have led to cancellations or delays in ferries conveying agricultural produce from Morocco to Europe.
Food security, just like energy security, demands long-term planning. First and foremost, domestic production needs to be boosted, through support with energy prices and subsidies for farmers to help recoup their high production costs and promote sustainable farming. To supplement the efforts of farmers, households should be encouraged to grow their own fruit and vegetables where possible, in outdoor gardens, allotments, balconies, and elsewhere, as was the underlying theme of the “Dig for Victory” campaign during the Second World War. The suggestion by Environment Secretary Therese Coffey in the House of Commons, on 22 February, that more people should consider eating turnips (or maybe other more palatable root vegetables) during winter is less likely to be embraced with any enthusiasm by a nation accustomed to a year-round choice of produce.
Whatever it takes to resolve the situation, it seems likely that we will have to live with these shortages for a month or two, as things eventually return to normal. Meanwhile we should grit our teeth and get on with our lives in true British bulldog spirit.
Ashis Banerjee