Overview
- Gaps for strawberries have been recorded at Tesco, Lidl, Sainsbury’s and Asda, with raspberry shortages at Morrisons and Lidl and constrained supplies of peppers and avocados at several chains.
- Weeks of heavy rain and flooding across the UK, Spain and North Africa have disrupted harvests and damaged production and handling infrastructure in key sourcing regions.
- Spain’s Freshuelva says strawberry exports could fall by about 50% year on year following storm damage and supply-chain disruption.
- The Fresh Produce Consortium cautions that prices may increase as supply tightens, while the British Retail Consortium says retailers are working to minimise disruption by sourcing alternative origins.
- Suppliers report short‑term pressure on berries including blackberries and raspberries, with UK flood alerts ongoing and The Grocer noting additional delays from weather-related closures in the Strait of Gibraltar.