Many U.K. grocers limit some fruit and veggie sales as extreme weather impacts supply

NPR | By Willem Marx

Published February 23, 2023 at 9:59 AM EST

Empty shelves are seen in the fruit and vegetable aisles of a Tesco supermarket in the U.K. this week.

Many of Britain's largest grocery store chains this week introduced limits on the sale of specific vegetables and fruit as shortages of certain products continue to extend across the U.K.

Grocery giants including Tesco, Asda, Aldi and Morrisons are struggling with their supply chains, particularly with products sourced from southern Spain and Morocco where extreme weather has damaged crops.

In Northern Europe some farmers have also slashed production due to high energy prices, while in the U.K. food prices have risen almost 17% over the past year, the highest increase in almost half a decade.