Veggie-loving Brits are coping with a slightly harsher winter than usual. But there couldn’t be empty shelves in this house, convinced Bama and Coop.

Retail chains Asda and Morrisons have started rationing certain vegetables in the UK.

This is mainly due to periods of bad weather in Southern Europe and North Africa. But a major decline in the UK’s own salad production is also contributing to the shortage, according to several British media outlets.

The restrictions affect tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers, among other things.

On Wednesday, Asda will introduce a limit of three items per customer out of a total of eight products, including broccoli, cauliflower, raspberries and lettuce. Morrisons sets a limit of two cases of tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and peppers per customer.

– Demanding period

– There are big climate challenges this season.

This is what Pia Gulbrandsen, executive vice president for communications and public relations at Bama, told E24.

– Firstly there is a lot of rain in southern Europe. Then came the sandstorms and heatwaves. And now in January it’s freezing and snowing. This means that we have gone through difficult times with little access to tomatoes and peppers, he explained.

Bama has met most of the needs, but not 100 percent.

– We could probably sell more, said Gulbrandsen.

Believe in normalization

The good news is Bama doesn’t think there’s a chance there will be empty shelves here in Norway. They also believe that the situation will normalize in the future.

There is also a shortage of broccoli, cauliflower and iceberg lettuce in European markets.

– Europe has 30-40 percent less access to these goods than usual. But regardless of the situation, we have managed to deliver. We have a long relationship with our suppliers and it has been prioritized, says Gulbrandsen.

He cautioned that Norwegian cherry tomatoes will be available in stores in a few weeks.

– We also have good coverage of Norwegian cucumbers, so the overall picture for us here in Norway is great.

Cooperative: No need for rationing

– We have to be able to say that the weather gods haven’t exactly teamed up with producers in recent months.

This is what communications manager Harald Kristiansen at Coop told E24. He also referred to the demanding weather conditions in southern Europe.

– Therefore, we may experience some delays in the coming weeks, but we are not in a situation where we see a need for rationing, as we have seen from other countries.

According to Kristiansen, temperatures in Spain and Italy are now rising, but strong winds from the Sahara are bringing sand and providing less light than usual.

– The storm also caused problems at the port and delayed shipments for several days.

The communications manager described the situation as “a lot of pushing”, which could in turn lead to a situation where it sold out for a shorter period.

– But goods come all the time so we see no need to limit sales. It’s not that bad, he says.

Energy costs, UK weather and Brexit(?)

In the UK, further restrictions will be imposed on consumers, according to Minette Batters, president of the National Farmers’ Union.

The reason is, among other things, the high energy costs for British farmers.

UK supply is said to have also been affected by bad weather at home, as well as reduced production in greenhouses in the Netherlands, which is a major producer.

In addition, there will be an increase in costs and paperwork as a result of Brexit, he wrote Guard. But according BBC the routine at the border of new fruit and vegetable imports will be marked in January 2024.

At the same time, Dough at the National Farmers Union said Independent that the reduction in subsidies to agriculture after Brexit has contributed to the decline in production.

Other UK retail chains have not imposed any restrictions on vegetables.