How bad have the fruit and vegetable shortages been in the north and north-east?

Residents in the north and north-east have been sharing their experiences of the fruit and vegetable shortages.

Over the past two weeks, the UK has been hit by a shortage of items including tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and lettuces.

Some supermarkets were even rationing the amount customers could purchase.

A spokesman for the UK government has said it is largely down to bad weather and poor crop yields in Europe and Africa.

The UK imports around 95% of its tomatoes and 90% of its lettuces in winter, according to trade group the British Retail Consortium (BRC).

Due to it being some of the most remote parts of the UK, how has the north and north-east been affected?

Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire

Aberdeen residents have reported seeing a shortage of peppers in several supermarkets in the city.

Prices of wholesaler costs for fruit and vegetables have shot up in Aberdeenshire.

Last week, cafe owners told The Press and Journal that prices have increased by 35-40%.

But they said they have not faced any shortages, despite some of the cafes using supermarkets as their main suppliers.

However, parts of the Co-op at Mounthooly in Aberdeen had sections bare today. There were also no peppers at nearby Morrisons and limited tomatoes.

Argyll and Bute

Argyll and Bute residents have reported their supermarkets seemingly fairly full.

James MacCulloch, who lives in Oban, said: “Supermarkets here seem to be stocked up well.

“We have a Tesco, Lidl, Aldi and a Marks and Spencers and I have not noticed any shortages.”

Despite its small population size, Oban does have several supermarkets which could be due to increased demand from nearby islands.

Highlands

Nairn resident Bill Cameron believes despite the north of Scotland being near the end of the supply chain, the supermarkets have remained “pretty full”.

In response to a post on social media, showing empty shelves, he wrote: “I simply don’t believe these fake empty shelves, without place/date verification.”

 Have you noticed any shortages in your area? – Get in touch at livenews@ajl.co.uk