Shortage of fresh produce

SUPERMARKETS in Henley have been affected by the shortage of fresh produce but are not yet rationing customers.

The supply of tomatoes, broccoli, peppers and cucumbers has been impacted by recent bad weather in Spain, where most of the crops are grown.

As a result, many supermarkets across the country have had to ration supplies.

At Waitrose in Bell Street, underneath the “tomato” signs, stacks of green crates were empty on Wednesday.

There were signs stating: “Thanks for your patience. Supply issues are making it difficult to source some products to the high quality you expect from us. We’re working hard to bring you our full range as soon as possible.”

In the salad section, there was almost no stock apart from some packaged lettuce.

At the Tesco store off Reading Road, there were some green peppers and cucumbers available. Signs on empty crates read: “Sorry, these products are out of stock. We’re working hard to refill our shelves.”

Carol Wagstaff, professor of crop quality for health at the University of Reading, said: “Poor weather in Spain is the underlying cause of these shortages. Although it would be good to grow more of our food in the UK, we have to recognise that to produce crops out of season requires high energy for additional heating and artificial lighting of glasshouses and polytunnels and we would need to be confident that this came from renewable sources.”