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Fresh Produce

Spring Vegetables In Short Supply

By square1
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Spring Vegetables In Short Supply

Poor weather in Europe and Africa has caused a shortfall in the supply of spring vegetables.

Although British-grown iceberg lettuce typically is available in shops from the first week of May, the cold spring has delayed the harvest significantly this year, with some suppliers predicting a delay of up to three weeks, as well as smaller iceberg head weights for the first few weeks of the season.

The supply of Spanish iceberg lettuce is also lower than usual due to the cool spring, which resulted in lower production levels. According to industry sources, suppliers and retailers have been forced to take the unusual option of flying icebergs in from the US.

Accordingly, wholesale prices for iceberg lettuce have rapidly increased in the UK, with a climb of nearly 40% year-on-year to 60p a piece, with retail prices following suit. An iceberg lettuce costs an average of £1.16 across the major retailers in Britain - 45% more than the average price of 80p that it cost during this period last year. Tesco stated that the retailer has had to work closely with its lettuce suppliers to ensure availability "Having spotted early on that this may cause a gap in supply, we have used historic forecasts to secure just the right amount of product at the right quality." 

Elsewhere, tenderstem broccoli supplies have also proved problematic, as Kenya's crop has been damaged by hail and heavy rains. At this time of year, Kenya is the main supplier of the early broccoli crop but supply this spring has been between 30 and 40% below demand due to the inclement weather. The lower Kenyan supply has been supplemented with a limited supply from Spain. The UK crop is typically ready for harvesting at the end of May, although this too has been delayed by poor weather. The shortfall of the popular broccoli has come at a bad time - it was recently featured in a high profile advertising campaign, and further to that, demand for the cruciferous vegetable has never been higher - volume sales were up by 40% in the first quarter of this year compared with the same period last year, following a 25% increase in year-on-year sales in 2012.

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