A significant rise in energy prices is still making the cost of running many glasshouses financially unstainable for some growers.
According to the British Tomato Growers’ Association (BTGA), several farmers have therefore opted out of planting energy-intensive winter crops, which is causing supply shortages and driving up some crop prices. The price of cherry tomatoes in the UK rose by 58% year on year in March 2022, reaching an average of GBP 3.83/kg.
Growers in Europe are also facing similar challenges, thus supplies of imported vegetables are likely to decline, potentially causing shortages in supermarkets in the upcoming months, reports Mintecglobal.com.
The substantial pressure of rising costs has resulted in many vegetable producers being forced to cease production for winter 2022, thus leading to lower availability of supplies, particularly for tomatoes.
McDonald’s has been hit by the UK tomato shortage and consequently is rationing the ingredient by only including one slice of tomato rather than two in some burger options. Supplies are expected to remain limited over the short term, potentially resulting in further difficulties for fast food outlets and retailers to source ingredients, and firmer prices.