How the fruit and veg supply shortage is hitting Sunderland supermarkets - how Asda, Aldi, Lidl, Sainsbury's, Marks and Spencer and others are faring

At the end of a long winter the UK is dependent on supplies of certain types of fruit and veg from North Africa and Spain, but inclement weather and flooding has impacted on crop yields.

The situation has been compounded by rising electricity costs which has restricted the amount of produce being grown in indoor greenhouses.

The shortage has led to photographs in the national press of empty shelves and a number of leading supermarket chains restricting the purchase of items such as tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and lettuces to maximum of three.

My wife generally undertakes the weekly family shop and has regularly returned bemoaning the fact she couldn’t buy an essential ingredient for that night’s dinner.

I decided it was time to set out with my shopping bags and trolley to see for myself just how bad the situation is in the supermarkets of Washington.

Shopping list in hand – which included tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, iceberg lettuce, courgettes, onions, apples, leeks and bananas – I scoured the shelves of Asda, M&S and Sainsbury’s in The Galleries as well as Lidl at the Peel Centre.

I started though with a shop at Aldi at where the majority of produce did seem to be available, if sometimes appearing sparse in volume.

As I navigated the fruit and veg isles I did notice a shortage of the key items identified nationally. Notably, I was unable to purchase an iceberg lettuce and I got the second last cucumber on display, despite it being only 11am in the morning.

While there were bags of sweet peppers, the shelves were empty of standard bell peppers. The store also had clear signs indicating a restriction to a maximum of three purchases per shopper of these particular items.

After my shop, I moved on to check-out the shelves of Sainsbury’s. While I couldn’t see any signs indicating any purchase restrictions, I was unable to find any cucumbers, peppers or Sainsbury’s packs of classic tomatoes.

While some supplies of certain items were fairly sparse, I was able to find all the items on my list in Marks & Spencer, Lidl and Asda.

However, Lidl had a notice warning that tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers were limited to three per customer with Asda displaying a similar message, citing poor weather in Spain and North Africa.

My experience was shared by shoppers who, up to this point, said they had generally been able to get the fruit and veg they needed during their weekly shop.

Pensioner Angus Dunbar, 76, from Washington, said: “I tend to shop wherever I can get the best value. I’ve not really experienced this shortage and so far I’ve been able to continue getting what I need.

“I’ve seen the restrictions in some of the supermarkets but there’s only two of us at home and so it has not been an issue.”

Highways Operator John Brennan, 62, said: “I usually shop at Asda and I’ve never had any problems and I’ve not noticed the restrictions. From what I’ve seen I think it’s a bigger problem in other parts of the country.”

James Roland, 72, added: “I usually shop in Asda and Sainsbury’s and I’ve just continued to shop as usual. I’ve not really had any issues although I have seen people panic buying large amounts of some items.

"I’ve seen the restrictions in some shops, but there is only me and my wife and so we are not really affected by being limited to three items.”

While not a “big problem”, a few shoppers had noticed an increasing shortage of some products.

Pensioner Margaret Cowell, 79, said: “I normally shop at Aldi and in the last few weeks I have noticed a shortage of things like beetroot and pickled onions. The biggest thing I’ve noticed is the cost of everything is continuing to rise.”

Robert Tarn, 58, a retail worker from Sunderland, added: “I’ve not noticed any restrictions but the biggest thing I have noticed a shortage of is cat and dog food.”

SEE ALSO: Sunderland's Fulwell 73 unveils plans for one of Europe's largest filmmaking complexes in city, creating more than 8,000 jobs

All the supermarkets visited were contacted to see if there was a store manager who would be willing to speak about the current situation.

While no one was available to interview in person, Aldi did provide a statement regarding the current shortage of certain produce.

Aldi bosses confirmed they are "seeing a small number of fruit and veg lines impacted”.

A spokesperson added: “We are limiting purchases of peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes to three units per person to ensure that as many customers as possible can buy what they need.”

I was also directed to Andrew Opie, Director of Food and Sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, who added: “Difficult weather conditions in the South of Europe and Northern Africa have disrupted harvest for some fruit and vegetables including tomatoes and peppers. While disruption is expected to last a few weeks, supermarkets are adept at managing supply chain issues and are working with farmers to ensure that customers are able to access a wide range of fresh produce.

"In the meantime, some stores are introducing temporary limits on the number of products customers can buy to ensure availability for everyone.”

The shortage is expected to last for “several weeks”, but with the days getting longer and the sun getting warmer, the first signs of spring are in the air and with it, so too is the UK’s capacity to once again start growing its own fruit and veg supplies.