Peterborough-based carrots supplier Produce World warns shoppers must be prepared to pay more for food

​A Peterborough-based supplier of fresh vegetables has warned that shoppers will have to get used to paying more for their food as shortages occur more often.​

The warning comes from William Burgess, chairman of Produce World, in Yaxley, who says that low profit margins earned by food producers were the main cause of the current shortages of tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers in some leading supermarkets.

And he says that in the near future customers are likely to see other shortages of root crops, such as carrots.

He said: “While the poor weather in Spain and Morocco is a factor in the current shortages, the main reason is cost – the prices paid to the grower are insufficient given the increase in the costs of growing the produce.”

“The shelves in shops in Europe are full despite the weather.

"The weather has meant there is less product available, so someone was always going to go short. But at the moment it is the UK that is going short and the reason is because we are not paying growers enough money.

“Brexit is a bit of a factor in that a European producer that can sell its produce into the EU and get the same money as in the UK will pick the EU as there is a lot less hassle and bureaucracy.

He said: “There is a lot less UK production now because growers have cut back because they can’t get the price they need.

“This is the real challenge to the retail sector – it has to be much more proactive in working with suppliers to understand what the real inflation rate is and be able to cover it.

He warned: “It does mean higher food prices but in the end if you don't pay a sustainable price then you get empty shelves.”

He warned: “We will have to get used to paying more for our food but we will still be the cheapest in Europe.”

Mr Burgess added: “We are seeing the same challenges at Produce World.

“We’ve not had any shortages of our product so far but there is potential for the shortages in root crops this summer.

“Carrots will be in short supply for three to four weeks. Any imported carrots will be expensive.”

But organic vegetables delivery farm Riverford, based in Sacrewell, says its relationship with overseas growers means it is enjoying a plentiful supply of salad.

Luke King, Riverford’s Supply and Technical Director said: “The cold weather recently experienced in Spain has reduced the availability of salads significantly.

“However, at Riverford we are still getting a supply of tomatoes and peppers from our organic growers in Spain.

“We have developed long-term relationships with the two main organic growers in Spain, and we work with these companies almost exclusively, so we aren’t having to compete with lots of other companies.

“These strong relationships mean we are prioritised and have a better level of supply than the UK supermarkets, in most cases.

He added: “This is a testament to our ethos of building long-standing relationships with growers, where we build trust, mutual respect, and a friendship working directly rather than through third-party packers as the supermarkets do.”